NEW DELHI, 23 August 2026 (Kamran Raja): Search-and-rescue operations continued off India’s eastern coast on Sunday for 22 crew members who remain missing after a Panama-flagged cargo vessel, Ocean Winner, sank with 24 people on board. According to Indian officials, two Chinese nationals were rescued after the vessel sank. The rescued seafarers told authorities that the ship developed a severe list on Friday and sank within about eight minutes, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel. Shyam Jagannathan, Director General of India’s Maritime Administration, said the chances of finding survivors generally decline sharply after 12 hours, but rescue teams were continuing their efforts to locate the missing crew members. The Indian Coast Guard said 22 crew members remain unaccounted for, including 18 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national. The Indian Navy is closely coordinating with the Coast Guard in the search operation. Two Coast Guard vessels have also been deployed from Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly known as Port Blair, to assist in the search and rescue efforts. According to an initial report prepared by India’s Maritime Administration, the Ocean Winner was carrying iron ore bound for China after departing from India’s eastern Paradip port on Friday. Government sources said the vessel sank approximately 240 nautical miles from Paradip port.The cause of the sinking has not yet been determined, and authorities are continuing search-and-rescue operations while efforts are underway to locate the missing crew members.