Two rescued, 22 missing after cargo ship sinks off eastern India

​India's maritime rescue ​agency lost communication on Saturday ​with a Panama-flagged cargo vessel that sank off the coast of eastern India, the Indian Coast Guard ‌said.

The vessel ⁠had ⁠24 crew on board, including 20 Chinese nationals, ​three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi, according to Commandant ​Amit Uniyal, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard sent two vessels for ​the search-and-rescue mission from Sri ⁠Vijaya Puram, ‌formerly known as Port Blair, ​Uniyal said.


The ​Coast Guard has rescued two people ⁠from life rafts. The search-and-rescue mission ​is under way for the seafarers ​on the vessel, the agency said.

The Ocean Winner was carrying iron ore to Singapore after departing from India's eastern Paradip port on Thursday, according to government sources, ‌adding that the ship sank around 240 nautical miles from the port.

The ​cause of ​the sinking ⁠was unknown.

Captain Alekha Charan Sahoo, deputy conservator of the Paradip Port Authority, said he was praying ​for the safety of the crew on board and hoping for the best.