Two survivors rescued from sunken Panama-flagged cargo ship off Odisha coast
Two people have survived after a Panama-flagged cargo ship, which had 24 individuals aboard, went down in the Bay of Bengal, with rescue operations continuing, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Sunday.
The vessel, en route to China from Paradip Port with a cargo of iron ore, capsized roughly 230 nautical miles from the Paradip coast of Odisha.
He noted that all agencies are working closely, with search and rescue efforts actively continuing.
"2 survivors have been successfully rescued and are being given medical care; their rank and identity are currently being verified," the minister said.
The Indian Coast Guard has ramped up its search and rescue mission following the incident.
Among those on board the MV Ocean Winner were "20 Chinese, three Myanmarese and one Bangladeshi" nationals.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre sent a nearby commercial ship, MT Aisopos, to look for the sunken vessel or any liferafts and help with the rescue. The ship found and rescued two survivors from two liferafts at around 8 pm.
The vessel was on its way to Singapore, carrying 72,100 metric tonnes of iron ore from Odisha. It had left the Paradip coast at 10.42 pm on August 20, officials said. (with inputs from PTI)
