Search resumes for 22 crew after cargo ship sinks off India

A search-and-rescue operation was underway on Sunday following the sinking of a cargo ship off India's eastern coast, according to the Indian Coast Guard. The Panama-flagged vessel, Ocean Winner, had 24 crew members on board when it went down on Friday. Two Chinese nationals were rescued on Saturday, leaving 22 people unaccounted for.

The rescued seafarers reported that the vessel developed a list and sank within eight minutes, forcing the crew to abandon ship, stated Shyam Jagannathan, director general of India's Maritime Administration. The cause of the list was not immediately determined. The chances of finding survivors dwindled sharply after 12 hours, but rescuers persisted in their search efforts, as noted by Jagannathan.

The missing crew comprised 18 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals, and one Bangladeshi, the Indian Coast Guard reported. The Coast Guard announced deployment of three ships to carry out surface searches for the remaining crew members. Officials cited in the Indian Express revealed that the ship was approximately 240 nautical miles off the coast of Odisha.

Ship-tracking app MarineTraffic indicated the Ocean Winner was transporting iron ore from Paradip port in Odisha to Singapore.