Sailor dies as barge carrying ore sinks off Goa beach

PANAJI - A sailor died while six others were rescued Monday when a river barge loaded with iron ore sank while it was being unloaded.

A police spokesperson said the barge sank while it was transferring ore from its hull to a trans-shipper mid-sea, off Sinquerim beach.

“One person died and six others were rescued with the help of other sailors on board the trans-shipper,” a police official said.

Hundreds of barges plying the Mandovi and Zuari rivers in Goa transport iron and manganese ore from the hinterland and transport it to awaiting trans-shippers before the cargo is dispatched to ore purchasing countries like China and Japan.

More than 40 million tonnes of ore is exported out of Goa annually.