A Panama-flagged cargo ship sank in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, around 240 nautical miles from the Paradip coast in Odisha, officials said.

The vessel was carrying iron ore from Odisha to Singapore when it sank, they said. There were 24 crew members on board.

The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy have launched a rescue operation following the incident.

Most crew members believed to be Chinese

A senior IPS officer told PTI that authorities were still unsure how many crew members had been rescued.

"We are not sure how many of the crew members have been rescued," the officer said, adding that most of those on board were Chinese nationals.

The officer said other vessels operating in the vicinity had also been alerted and asked to assist in the rescue effort.

Ship had left Odisha on Friday

According to the officer, the cargo ship had departed from the Odisha coast on Friday, a day before it sank.

The Coast Guard and Navy are currently involved in efforts to locate and rescue the crew members. Further details on the number of people rescued were not immediately available.