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Two of the 24 crew members aboard a merchant vessel that sank off India’s eastern coast have been rescued, while search operations are underway for the remaining 22, the Indian Navy said on Sunday.

The Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner was travelling from Paradip port in Odisha to Singapore, according to MarineTraffic.

The vessel issued a distress alert around 700 kilometres (435 miles) east of Visakhapatnam, prompting a joint rescue operation by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard.

A naval patrol aircraft was redeployed to monitor the area, while the Coast Guard sent three vessels to assist in the operation, reported.

“The aircraft located life rafts in the area", the Navy said, adding that it coordinated with a nearby vessel, MT Aisopos, which picked up the two crew members from the life rafts.

According to the , citing Coast Guard sources, 20 of those onboard were Chinese nationals, while three were from Myanmar and one was Bangladeshi.

The nationalities of the two rescued crew members were not immediately known.