Bhubaneswar, Aug. 23 -- Twenty-two seafarers are missing in deep sea, while two have been rescued after a Panama-flagged cargo ship MV Ocean Winner carrying more than 72,000 tonnes of iron ore fines from Odisha to China sank in the Bay of Bengal, about 230 nautical miles off the eastern coast, officials said on Sunday.

Two of the 24 crew members aboard the ship were rescued from life rafts, while an intensive search is underway for the remaining seafarers, officials said.

The vessel left Paradip Port on Friday after loading iron ore fines and was bound for China. It reportedly sank in deep waters on Saturday after contact was lost. The crew comprised 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar and one Bangladeshi national, officials said....