The China-bound ship carrying iron ore had lost contact about 200 nautical miles off the coast on August 20.

Updated on: Aug 27, 2026, 13:14:21 IST

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Two Chinese sailors on Thursday were rescued from a sunken cargo ship from Paradip port in Odisha, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said.

The China-bound ship carrying iron ore had lost contact about 200 nautical miles off the coast on August 20, prompting the ICG and the Indian Navy to launch a search and rescue operation.

"Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Varad safely brought two Chinese survivors—Pan Tonglai and Chen Jianhe—to Paradip, Odisha today. Rescued from a liferaft on 22 August, both received medical care onboard during transit and have now been handed over to authorized company representatives in the presence of Bureau of Immigration and local police officials,” ICG CPRO Commandant Amit Uniyal said.

“Coordinated sea and air search operations continue in full swing to locate the remaining missing crew members. MRCC Sri Vijaya Puram is continuously coordinating with all participating assets in the ongoing rescue efforts,” he added.

The Panama-flagged vessel was carrying 24 crew members, including 20 Chinese nationals, one Bangladeshi, and three Myanmar nationals, sources told earlier. Laden with 1,700 tonnes of iron ore fines, the ship had left Paradip at about 10:30 pm on August 20.

Some reports earlier said the vessel may have sunk in deep waters and that crew members were spotted floating in life jackets.

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