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.
Published 21 February 2011, 11:54 IST