Rescuers have found no trace of 22 missing sailors after their Panama-flagged cargo ship sank in the Bay of Bengal last week, the Indian Coast Guard announced Tuesday.
Search aircraft and ships are currently scouring the area where the cargo ship MV Ocean Winner reportedly sank Saturday. The vessel was approximately 276 miles (444 kilometers) off the Paradip coast of India's eastern Odisha state.
The joint search operation, conducted by the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy, is facing challenges due to the exceptionally deep waters in the region. So far, search efforts have located only an oil slick and two life rafts near the ship's last known position.
Authorities stated that the absence of wreckage is hindering efforts to determine the cause of the sinking and to focus subsequent search operations.
The MV Ocean Winner was transporting iron ore to China and carried a crew of 24. According to the coast guard, the crew included 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar, and one from Bangladesh. Two Chinese crew members were rescued on Saturday after the ship issued a distress call.