India launches rescue operation as bulk carrier sinks off east coast

NEW DELHI - India’s maritime rescue agency on Aug 22 lost communication with Panama-flagged cargo vessel Ocean Winner, which sank off the coast of eastern India, the Indian Coast Guard said.The vessel had 24 crew on board, including 20 Chinese, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi, according to Commandant Amit Uniyal, a spokesperson for the Indian Coast Guard.The Coast Guard sent two vessels for the search-and-rescue mission from Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly known as Port Blair, Uniyal said.The coast guard has rescued two people from life rafts.The search-and-rescue mission is under way for the seafarers on the vessel, the agency said.The Ocean Winner was carrying iron ore to Singapore after departing from India’s eastern Paradip port on Aug 20, according to government sources, adding that the ship sank around 240 nautical miles from the port.The cause of the sinking was not immediately known.Captain Alekha Charan Sahoo, deputy conservator of the Paradip Port Authority, said he was praying for the safety of the crew on board and hoping for the best. REUTERS