India launches rescue operation as bulk carrier sinks off east coast
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- Indian Coast Guard lost communication with the Panama-flagged Ocean Winner off eastern India on Aug. 22.
- Ocean Winner sank around 240 nautical miles from Paradip port, and officials said the cause was not immediately known.
- Ocean Winner was carrying iron ore to Singapore after departing Paradip port on Aug. 20.
- Ocean Winner had 24 crew aboard, comprising 20 Chinese, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi.
- Indian Coast Guard sent two vessels from Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly known as Port Blair, for the search-and-rescue mission.
- Indian Coast Guard rescued two people from life rafts, while its search for the remaining seafarers continued.
Why it matters: For the 24 seafarers aboard Ocean Winner, survival and location are the immediate issue: two have been pulled from life rafts, while the search continues for the others. With the carrier lost about 240 nautical miles from Paradip and its sinking unexplained, the Coast Guard’s two deployed vessels remain engaged in the at-sea search.
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