Panamanian ship sinks off India; 22 crew members missing

An intensive search operation is underway for 22 missing crew members after a Panamanian-flagged merchant vessel sank off India's eastern coast. The ship, identified as the MV Ocean Winner, was sailing from India's Paradip port to Singapore when it went down on Saturday.

The vessel issued a distress signal approximately 700 kilometers east of Visakhapatnam, triggering a coordinated rescue mission involving the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. Initial reports indicate that out of the 24 crew members on board, two have been successfully rescued.

According to the Indian Navy, a patrol aircraft spotted life rafts in the area. The aircraft then coordinated with a nearby vessel, the MT Aisopos, to rescue the two survivors from these rafts.

Reports from the Press Trust of India, citing Coast Guard sources, stated that 20 of the crew members were Chinese nationals, three were from Myanmar, and one was from Bangladesh. The nationalities of the two rescued individuals were not immediately clear.

The Indian Coast Guard has deployed three ships to aid in the search efforts, while the navy continues aerial surveillance of the vast sea area where the ship disappeared.