2 Chinese survivors from vessel that sank off Odisha coast questioned by joint team

The Indian Coast Guard rescued two Chinese crew members from the Panama-flagged MV Ocean Winner after it sank off the Odisha coast on August 22. Pan Tonglai and Chen Jianhe were found on life rafts and are currently receiving medical care. Coast Guard spokesperson Commandant Amit Uniyal stated they are with authorized company representatives.

Police are questioning the survivors about the incident and they will eventually be sent to the Chinese Embassy. The MV Ocean Winner, carrying over 72,000 tonnes of iron ore from Odisha to China, tilted and sank within eight minutes around 230 nautical miles from the Paradip coast. The vessel had left Paradip Port early Friday morning with 24 crew members on board, including 20 Chinese, three from Myanmar, and one from Bangladesh.

Search and rescue operations for the remaining 22 crew members continue, with coordinated sea and air efforts led by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Sri Vijaya Puram, Port Blair. The team recovered the vessel's emergency beacon and an empty lifeboat from the search area in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday.