Indian Coast Guard, Navy continue search for 22 crew missing after bulk carrier sinks
The two rescued Chinese seafarers said the vessel developed a list on Friday and sank within eight minutes, forcing crew to abandon ship, the director general of India's Maritime Administration said.
India's Coast Guard and Navy continued their search-and-rescue operations off the eastern coast on Sunday following the sinking of a Panama-flagged cargo vessel, the Ocean Winner, with 22 crew members still missing. Two Chinese nationals were among the two rescued crew members, according to Shyam Jagannathan, director general of India's Maritime Administration.
Jagannathan stated that the vessel capsized on Friday, sinking within eight minutes and forcing the crew to abandon ship. He added that the chances of finding survivors diminish significantly after 12 hours, but rescue efforts were ongoing. The Indian Coast Guard reported that 22 crew members, including 18 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals, and one Bangladeshi, were missing from the Ocean Winner.
The Indian Navy is working closely with the Coast Guard to locate the remaining crew members. The Coast Guard dispatched two vessels from Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly known as Port Blair, for the search-and-rescue operation. The Ocean Winner was en route from India's eastern Paradip port to China, carrying iron ore, when it sank approximately 240 nautical miles from the port, according to initial reports from India's Maritime Administration. The cause of the sinking remains unknown at this time.
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