A cargo ship has sunk off the eastern coast of India, the country's coast guard said. The Panama-flagged vessel Ocean Winner had 24 crew on board, at least two of whom were reportedly rescued.

The crew included 20 Chinese nationals, three seamen from Myanmar and one from Bangladesh, Indian officials said.

Why the ship sank remains unclear.

According to officials cited in the Indian Express, the ship was about 240 nautical miles (444 kilometers, 276 miles) off the coast of Odisha. A joint operation by the Indian Coast Guard and the country's navy was underway to find more survivors.

The Hindustan Times reported local Paradip police official Sanjay Negi saying that rescue teams would reach the site "by tomorrow morning" and that other vessels in the vicinity had been alerted to help with the rescue effort. 

According to ship-tracking app MarineTraffic, the Ocean Winner was carrying iron ore from Paradip port in Odisha to Singapore.

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Edited by: Sean Sinico