India launches rescue mission as Panama-flagged cargo ship sinks off east coast

India's maritime rescue agency has confirmed the sinking of a Panama-flagged cargo ship, the Ocean Winner, off the country's eastern coast. Communication with the vessel was lost on Saturday, leading to a swift search and rescue operation.

The Ocean Winner was carrying 24 crew members at the time of the incident. According to a coastguard spokesman, the crew comprised 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar, and one from Bangladesh. The Indian coastguard deployed two vessels from Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly Port Blair) to conduct the search.

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The coastguard sent two vessels for the search-and-rescue mission from Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly known as Port Blair.

So far, the rescue mission has successfully recovered two individuals from life rafts. A comprehensive search and rescue operation is currently underway to locate the remaining seafarers from the sunken vessel. The cause of the sinking remains unknown.

The ship had departed from India's eastern Paradip port on Thursday, carrying iron ore destined for Singapore. It sank approximately 240 nautical miles (448 km) from the port. Government sources confirmed the cargo and the vessel's route.

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The coastguard has rescued two people from life rafts. The search-and-rescue mission is under way for the seafarers on the vessel.