22 missing after bulk carrier sinks off India, navy says

India's navy said rescuers were searching on Sunday for 22 people missing after a Panama-flagged bulk carrier sank off the country's eastern coast.

The MV Ocean Winner had 24 crew members on board, and two were rescued from liferafts, the navy said. The vessel sent a distress alert about 700 kilometres east of Visakhapatnam, prompting a joint rescue operation by the navy and the Indian coast guard.

MarineTraffic said the ship was travelling from Paradip port in Odisha state to Singapore.

The navy said a patrol aircraft located liferafts in the area and coordinated with a nearby vessel, MT Aisopos, to pick up two crew members. It said the aircraft had been redeployed to monitor the area.

Indian broadcaster NDTV reported that the coast guard also sent three vessels.

Press Trust of India reported, citing coast guard sources, that the crew included 20 Chinese nationals, three people from Myanmar and one Bangladeshi. The nationalities of the two rescued crew members were not immediately clear.