A Panama-flagged cargo ship sank in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, about 240 nautical miles from the Paradip coast in Odisha, officials confirmed. The ship, with 24 crew members on board, had left the Odisha coast on August 21 and was headed towards Singapore, carrying iron ore from Odisha, when the tragedy struck.

According to sources, two crew members have been rescued, while efforts are underway to trace the others. A senior IPS officer said 20 of the 24 crew members are Chinese nationals, three are from Myanmar, and one is from Bangladesh.

The Vessel MV Ocean-Winner was carrying around 1700 tonnes of Iron Ore.

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“A rescue operation has been launched by the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy after receiving a distress call. Other vessels in the vicinity have been alerted to assist in the rescue effort,” he said. “The Indian Coast Guard has been deploying additional boats from Andaman to expedite the rescue efforts. Efforts are being made to establish contact with the crew members.”

Asked about the circumstances that led to the mishap, the police officer said they are yet unknown. Neither the Paradip Port nor the Indian Coast Guard has issued a statement.