India launches rescue operation after cargo vessel sinks off eastern coast

The sinking occurred off India's east coast, near the port of Paradip in the eastern state of Odisha. The Paradip coastguard station, the closest command post, has been coordinating local operations, according to officials.

Des moyens de secours déployés

Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who oversees the ports, shipping and waterways portfolio, said he had spoken with coastguard director-general Amit Uniyal about the incident. "The ship is in the area where it was last known, we have engaged our aircraft and ships to continue the search," Sonowal said, adding that the rescue effort would continue until every missing person was accounted for.

Officials said the maritime rescue agency dispatched additional ships to the search zone and pressed aircraft into service to scan a wider area of sea. Indian authorities have also alerted nearby merchant traffic to be on the lookout for survivors and debris.

The cause of the sinking was not immediately clear. Investigators were expected to examine weather conditions in the Bay of Bengal at the time and the vessel's last known course, but officials said the priority was locating the crew.

La cause fait l'objet d'une enquête

The incident comes as India's east coast regularly handles heavy commercial traffic bound for Paradip, one of the country's largest ports by cargo throughput, and for other terminals along the Bay of Bengal.

Indian authorities said they would provide further updates as the rescue operation progresses. Families of the crew were being contacted through diplomatic channels in Beijing, Yangon and Dhaka.

The coastguard said conditions in the search area had been challenging, with officials urging caution as sea state and weather reports were being assessed throughout the day. The operation was expected to continue through the night if survivors were believed to remain in the water.