India's coastguard and navy continued search-and-rescue operations off the eastern coast on Sunday after a Panama-flagged bulk carrier carrying 24 crew members sank, with two Chinese nationals rescued, a senior official said.
The two Chinese seafarers said the vessel, called the Ocean Winner, had developed a list on Friday and sank within eight minutes, forcing the crew to abandon ship, Shyam Jagannathan, director general of India's Maritime Administration, told Reuters.
Jagannathan said the chances of finding survivors generally fall sharply after the first 12 hours, but rescuers were continuing their search.
"All agencies are coordinating closely and actively doing search and rescue efforts," Sarbananda Sonowal, federal minister for the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said in a social media post.
The missing crew members include 18 more Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi, according to India's coastguard.
