A ship carrying scientists conducting environmental studies sank off the India's eastern coast early on Saturday, a report said. All 18 people on board, including the crew, escaped, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
"The accident occurred after an explosion, the reason for which is under investigation," said a senior official at the Dredging Corporation of India, the ship's owner.
The ship, valued at one billion rupees (227 million dollars), was carrying out studies in the Bay of Bengal for a project to dredge a shipping lane between India and Sri Lanka.