New Delhi, August 26

The Indian Coast Guard on Monday said it rescued 11 crew members of a merchant vessel after it sank in the Bay of Bengal. The Mumbai-registered cargo vessel was en route from Kolkata to Port Blair, the Coast Guard said.

“The Indian Coast Guard on August 26 rescued 11 crew members from the MV ITT Puma during a challenging night-time search and rescue operation,” it said.

It said the vessel reportedly sank about 90 nautical miles south of Sagar Island.The Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Chennai, initially received a distress signal late in the evening on August 25,” the Coast Guard said.The Indian Coast Guard’s regional headquarters (North East) in Kolkata promptly mobilised two ICG vessels and a Dornier aircraft to the site,” it said.