Fifteen out of 17 Chinese crew members had been rescued after a ship sank off the Indian sea, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan Thursday in Beijing.

Staff with the Chinese Embassy in India and Indian Coast Guard vessels had continued their search-and-rescue mission in hopes of finding the missing two seamen, according to Kong.

The crewmen were aboard a Malaysian cargo ship which sank in rough seas in the Bay of Bengal Tuesday afternoon. The ship, named MV Genius Star-VI, sank in the high seas off the West Bengal coast about 190 km southeast of Haldia town, according to a report.

The rescued sailors, said to be in good health, were brought to Haldia and received medical treatment.

"Chinese Foreign Ministry has instructed the Chinese Embassy in India to send officials to the site to lend a hand in the rescue work," said Kong.

The Chinese government and family members of rescued sailors had expressed gratitude to the active efforts made by the Indian government and relevant authorities for the rescue work, said Kong.

The Malaysian ship was carrying a consignment of logs from Malaysia to Kolkata.