A Panama-flagged cargo ship, MV Ocean Winner, has sunk in the Bay of Bengal roughly 240 nautical miles off the Odisha coast, prompting an active search and rescue operation.

The vessel was carrying iron ore bound for China and had 24 crew members on board, including 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar and one from Bangladesh.

Two crew members have been rescued so far, recovered from separate liferafts by the merchant vessel MT AISOPOS, which was nearby when the ship went down.

The Indian Coast Guard has sent multiple ships to the site, including ICGS Varad and ICGS Anmol, with ICGS Vijit sailing from Sri Vijaya Puram to reinforce the search.

The ship issued a distress alert on Saturday before losing contact, and the cause of the sinking has not yet been determined.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said all agencies are coordinating closely and actively continuing the search for the remaining 22 crew members.

The cause of the sinking has not yet been determined, with authorities focused on the search and rescue operation before any investigation into the incident begins.

MV Ocean Winner had departed from Paradip port in Odisha and was bound for China, roughly 240 nautical miles off the Odisha coast when it went down.

The ship issued a distress alert on Saturday before losing contact, prompting the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy to launch a joint search and rescue operation.

Coast Guard ships ICGS Varad and ICGS Anmol were deployed immediately to the site, while ICGS Vijit sailed from Sri Vijaya Puram to reinforce the search.

The two survivors were recovered from separate liferafts by the merchant vessel MT AISOPOS, which was in the vicinity and joined the rescue effort.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said all agencies are coordinating closely and actively continuing search and rescue efforts for the remaining crew.

Photo by Ting Chen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Delhi traffic was disrupted and several roads left waterlogged after heavy rain lashed the capital on Sunday morning.

Major stretches affected include the DND Flyway, ITO, Mathura Road, the Outer Ring Road, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg and the Kalindi Kunj area, all seeing heavy congestion as commuters navigated flooded sections.

The capital is expected to remain generally cloudy for the rest of Sunday, with the India Meteorological Department forecasting further spells of rain through the day.

Authorities have advised commuters to follow traffic advisories and avoid low-lying intersections while the rain continues, given the ongoing risk of further waterlogging.

No severe flood warning is currently active for the Delhi-NCR region, though additional localised waterlogging is expected in low-lying areas such as the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and NH-9 underpasses.

Today’s disruption comes as part of a broader weather system affecting large parts of the country, with the IMD also issuing an orange alert for very heavy rainfall in Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

A monsoon trough currently stretches from Amritsar to the Bay of Bengal, a configuration typically associated with widespread rainfall across the belt it passes through.

Delhi’s monsoon this year has run somewhat below the seasonal average, with cumulative rainfall through mid-August sitting about 12 percent under the Long Period Average even as individual spells like today’s have proven intense.

The India Meteorological Department has forecast more showers through the rest of Sunday, with the capital expected to remain generally cloudy for the day.

No severe flood warning is currently active for Delhi-NCR, though localised waterlogging is expected on low-lying stretches such as the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, NH-9 underpasses, Indirapuram and Sahibabad.

Commuters have been advised by traffic authorities to follow advisories and avoid low-lying intersections while the rain continues.

The waterlogging follows a broader weather system that has also triggered an orange alert for very heavy rainfall in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, alongside torrential rain forecast for India’s northeastern states today.

Photo by Biswarup Ganguly, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0