India launches rescue operation after cargo ship sinks off its coast

The Indian Coast Guard said on Saturday that the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre lost contact with the Panama-flagged cargo ship Ocean Winner, which sank off India’s eastern coast.

Spokesperson Amit Uniyal of the Coast Guard stated that the ship was carrying a crew of 24, including 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar, and one from Bangladesh.

The Coast Guard said search and rescue operations were underway to locate the sailors aboard the vessel. According to government sources, the Ocean Winner was carrying a cargo of iron ore bound for Singapore after departing from the port of Paradip in eastern India on Thursday.

He added that the ship sank approximately 240 nautical miles from the port, and the cause of the sinking remains unknown.