An Indian coastguard and navy search-and-rescue operation was underway on Sunday for 22 people, including a Bangladeshi national, who went missing after a Panama-flagged bulk carrier sank off India’s eastern coast, Reuters reported.
Two Chinese crew members were rescued after the Ocean Winner, carrying 24 crew, sank on Friday. The vessel developed a list and went down within eight minutes, forcing the crew to abandon ship, Shyam Jagannathan, director general of India’s Maritime Administration, told Reuters.
The missing crew include 18 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi, according to the Indian Coast Guard.
The ship was carrying iron ore to China after departing from Paradip port. It sank about 240 nautical miles from the port. The cause of the sinking was not immediately known.
Indian naval and coastguard vessels are continuing the search for the missing crew members.