NEW DELHI - An Indian official says that navy and coast guard helicopters and ships have rescued 30 crew members of a merchant ship off the coast of Mumbai hours after it sent out a distress signal.

Indian navy spokesman Captain Manohar Nambiar told The Associated Press that the MV Rak sent out a distress signal early Thursday morning. The navy and coast guard immediately began rescue operations.

The entire crew was. The sailors from Indonesia, Jordan and Romania were taken to the naval base in Mumbai.

The vessel was carrying a cargo of coal and was traveling from Indonesia to the western Indian state of Gujarat.

Nambiar said the ship was being monitored by the coast guard to estimate the rate at which it was sinking and to check for a possible oil spill.