Bhubaneswar: The Panama-flagged cargo vessel MV Ocean Winner which sank near Andaman while carrying iron ore from Paradip went down in just eight minutes, according to two crew members rescued from the sea.
The survivors said the ship broke up and sank in a very short time. Since they were on the upper part of the vessel, on the deck, they managed to jump into the water holding a life raft. They told the rescue team that four to five people were seen floating in the water at that time. It was dark as it was night. The other crew members are believed to have gone down with the ship as it was their rest time, they said.
While an empty lifeboat was found in the sea, it is suspected that some crew members who boarded it may have drowned.Indian Coast Guard Ship Varad rescued two Chinese nationals, Pan Tonglai and Chen Jianhe, and brought them to Paradip port at 11 am on Thursday.
They were admitted to the Paradip Port Medical Centre with a special ambulance and police escort for a health check-up. As per rules, they were later handed over to the ship’s agent in the presence of the DSP of Immigration and police officers and have been kept in a hotel.
Since the two sailors do not understand English, a language interpreter has been called from Delhi and their statements will be recorded after the interpreter arrives.
Even after a week since the sinking, the search operation is continuing for the vessel and 22 missing crew members.
