In the waters off India’s eastern coast, a maritime disaster continued to dominate headlines and rescue operations.
AUGUST 24: The search for 22 missing crew members of the Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner has entered a critical phase, with the Indian Navy and Coast Guard intensifying operations in the Bay of Bengal more than 24 hours after the vessel sank off the Odisha coast.
The 225-metre vessel, carrying 24 crew members, sank around 230–240 nautical miles from Paradip after losing communication. It was carrying more than 72,000 tonnes of iron ore and was sailing from Paradip towards China.
Two crew members were rescued from separate liferafts after an Indian Navy P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft located the rafts. A nearby commercial vessel, MT Aisopos, was diverted to the area and carried out the rescue. The two survivors are receiving medical treatment.
The remaining 22 crew members are still unaccounted for, prompting a large-scale search involving Coast Guard vessels Varad, Anmol and Vijit, along with naval surveillance assets. Other vessels operating in the region have also been alerted to assist in the search.
The crew comprised 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national. The circumstances that led to the vessel’s sinking remain unclear, and authorities have not yet established the cause of the disaster.
With 22 people still missing in the open waters of the Bay of Bengal, the rescue mission remains an urgent race against time.
JANPATH NEWS NETWORK (JNN)
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