News Desk: A Panama-flagged cargo vessel carrying iron ore from Odisha to Singapore sank in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, around 240 nautical miles from the Paradip coast, officials said. The vessel had 24 crew members on board when it went down. The ship had reportedly left the Odisha coast on Friday and was carrying a consignment of iron ore bound for Singapore. Following the incident, the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy launched a joint search and rescue operation. Other ships operating in the vicinity were also alerted and asked to assist in locating and rescuing the crew.
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Officials said the exact number of crew members rescued was not immediately known. A senior police officer said most of those aboard the vessel were Chinese nationals. The cause of the sinking has not yet been established. Authorities are expected to gather further information as rescue teams continue their operations and contact is established with the crew or nearby vessels.
The incident comes amid challenging marine conditions in parts of the Bay of Bengal. Weather bulletins issued for the region on August 22 indicated south-westerly to southerly winds and wave heights of up to around four metres in parts of the northern Bay of Bengal, along with rain and thunderstorms. Further details regarding casualties, the vessel’s condition before sinking and any possible environmental impact are awaited.
