A Panama-flagged cargo ship sank in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday (August 22, 2026), about 240 nautical miles from the Paradip coast in Odisha, officials said.

The ship, with 24 crew members on board, was heading towards Singapore carrying iron ore from Odisha, they said.

The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy have launched a rescue operation, they added, "We are not sure how many of the crew members have been rescued," a senior IPS officer told PTI, adding that most of the crew members were Chinese.

Other vessels in the vicinity have been alerted to assist in the rescue effort, he said.

"The ship left the Odisha coast on Friday [August 22, 2026]," the officer said.