2 rescued off India's eastern coast after distress alert from Panama-flagged cargo ship

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NEW DELHI (AP) — A search and rescue operation was underway Sunday off India’s eastern coast after a distress alert and loss of contact with a Panama-flagged ‌vessel carrying 24 crew.

Two crew members from the cargo ship MV Ocean Winner were rescued late Saturday while three ships were deployed to conduct surface searches for the remaining crew members in a joint operation by the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy.

The two crew members were undergoing medical treatment while their ranks and identities were being verified, said Sarbananda Sonowal, India’s Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

MT Aisopos, a commercial vessel in the vicinity, was asked to help search for the ship in distress, which was carrying 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi among the crew, the coast guard said.

The cargo ship sank in the Bay of Bengal Saturday about 276 miles (444 kilometers) from the Paradip coast of eastern Odisha state, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

The ship was carrying iron ore from Paradip Port to China, Sonowal said in a post on X.