New Delhi: India's Coast Guard and Navy continued search and rescue operations on Sunday after a Panama-flagged cargo vessel carrying 24 crew members sank off the country's eastern coast, with only two Chinese seafarers rescued so far.Shyam Jagannathan, Director General of India's Maritime Administration, told Reuters that the two rescued crew members said the vessel, Ocean Winner, developed a severe list on Friday before sinking within eight minutes, forcing those on board to abandon ship.According to the Indian Coast Guard, 22 crew members remain missing, including 18 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi.Jagannathan said survival chances generally decline sharply after the first 12 hours following a maritime incident, but search efforts were continuing.The Indian Navy said it is working closely with the Coast Guard to locate the missing crew.The Coast Guard has deployed two vessels from Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly known as Port Blair, to support the search and rescue operation.Preliminary findings from India's Maritime Administration indicate that the Ocean Winner was carrying a cargo of iron ore bound for China after departing from Paradip Port on India's eastern coast on Friday.Government sources said the vessel sank approximately 240 nautical miles from the port.The cause of the sinking has not yet been determined.
