A part of a Bangladesh-bound cargo vessel with fly ash collided with another ship and sunk in the Hooghly River, an Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) official said. The incident took place at Nischintapur in South 24 Parganas district, about 60 km from Kolkata in the early hours of Saturday.
After the police officers rushed to the scene, nine crew members were rescued and later brought to the police station.
A representative of the vessel said a portion of the ship sank and water seeped into the engine room. However, the ship can still be salvaged, he explained.
The movement of ships to and from Kolkata port, won’t be affected since the cargo vessel is not in the navigational channel.
An inspection team is at the site and they will present a detailed report.
Talks are underway to repatriate the rescued sailors, officials added.