The search operation for the three missing crew members of MV ITT Puna, the cargo vessel that sank in the Bay of Bengal on Sunday afternoon, is still on, Indian Coast Guard officials said on Tuesday.

The general cargo vessel carrying sand, steel and containers from Calcutta to Port Blair, sank in the Bay of Bengal on Sunday afternoon.
Eleven of its 14 crew members were rescued from the choppy sea by the Indian Coast Guard.

“The search for remaining three crew members by coast guard ships and aircraft in most probable areas continues, braving rough weather conditions,” an official of the Indian Coast Guard said on Tuesday.

The missing crew members include the captain Sudam Debnath.

“We are in touch with the family members of the missing crew,” said Pervez Rahman, owner of ITT Lines Pvt Ltd.

The 11 rescued crew members were taken to Paradip harbor by a coast guard ship and handed over to the officials of ITT Lines.

“They are in trauma. They spoke to their family members after reaching the land. We are yet to ask them how the three crew members went missing,” said Rahman.

Coast guard officials said the vessel had lost stability because of the increment weather and rough sea conditions when it sank 90 nautical miles (167 kilometres) south of the Sagar Islands.

“The vessel along with the cargo has completely sunk and cannot be retrived,” said Rahman.

The coast guard’s maritime search and rescue coordination centre in Chennai had received a distress email from the shipping company at 4.25pm on Sunday and forwarded it immediately to the coast guard’s Haldia unit.

A Dornier aircraft was sent by the coast guard which located the sinking vessel on Sunday evening and in the night, two search and rescue vessels reached the spot.

The crew members were found in two rafts that were tied together.