New Delhi, 23 August (H.S.):

A Panama-flagged cargo vessel, MV Ocean Winner, sank in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, around 240 nautical miles (444 kilometres) off the coast of Paradip, Odisha. The vessel was carrying 24 crew members, including 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national. The Indian Coast Guard has so far rescued two crew members, while search and rescue operations are continuing for the others.

The vessel was carrying 1,700 tonnes of iron ore from Paradip Port to Singapore. It departed on the night of August 20 and lost contact while sailing through the sea. Following the incident, the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy launched a joint search and rescue operation. Two vessels have been dispatched from Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly known as Port Blair, while other ships operating in the vicinity have also been alerted.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said in a post on X that he was deeply concerned by the incident. He said all agencies were working together to carry out the rescue operation. Two crew members had been safely evacuated and were receiving medical attention, he added.

Captain Alekha Charan Sahu, Deputy Conservator at the Paradip Port Authority, told reporters that he hoped all those aboard the vessel would be brought to safety. The cause of the sinking has not yet been ascertained.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar