The Ocean Winner ship sinking off eastern India has sparked a major search operation after the cargo vessel went down with 24 crew members onboard.
PARADIP: A cargo ship carrying 24 crew members has sunk off the coast of eastern India, with the Indian Coast Guard launching a search and rescue operation to find the missing sailors.
The Panama-flagged Ocean Winner was travelling from Paradip Port to Singapore when contact with the vessel was lost on Saturday. The ship later sank around 240 nautical miles off Paradip, according to government sources.
There were 24 people onboard when the Ocean Winner ship sinking took place. The crew included 20 Chinese nationals, three people from Myanmar and one Bangladeshi national, Coast Guard spokesperson Amit Uniyal said.
So far, two people have been rescued after they were found aboard two liferafts. The Coast Guard has sent two ships to the area, and search teams are continuing to look for the remaining crew members.
The ship had left Paradip Port in eastern India on Thursday and was carrying iron ore to Singapore. It was sailing under the flag of Panama when the incident happened.
What caused the vessel to sink is still not known. Authorities have not yet shared details about whether the ship experienced bad weather, a technical problem or another issue before contact was lost.
The main focus for now is finding the missing sailors as quickly as possible. Search and rescue operations at sea can be difficult, especially when crews need to cover a large area and locate people who may be in liferafts or in the water.
The rescue of two crew members gives teams an important lead as the operation continues. However, with other sailors still unaccounted for, Coast Guard teams are racing to locate them and bring them to safety.
The Ocean Winner ship sinking has also raised questions about what happened during the vessel’s journey from India towards Singapore. More details about the condition of the ship and the events leading up to the sinking are expected once authorities complete their initial rescue work and begin looking into the cause.
For now, the Coast Guard’s priority remains the missing crew. Search teams are continuing operations in the waters off India’s eastern coast, while families wait for news about those still unaccounted for.
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The immediate priority is finding the missing sailors and bringing them to safety. The sinking could also lead to an investigation into what caused the cargo vessel to go down during its journey to Singapore.
