A Panama-flagged cargo vessel carrying 24 crew members has sunk off the coast of Odisha in eastern India, prompting a major search and rescue operation, the Indian Coast Guard said on Sunday.
The MV Ocean Winner was carrying 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar citizens and one Bangladeshi when it went down, according to the Coast Guard.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Sri Vijaya Puram, capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, launched the operation on Saturday after receiving a distress alert from the vessel. Authorities subsequently lost contact with the ship.
So far, two crew members have been rescued from life rafts, the Coast Guard said.
Three ships have been deployed to conduct surface searches for the remaining crew members as rescue efforts continue.
Authorities have not yet provided further details about what caused the vessel to sink.