Watch: Cargo ship leaks hazardous material into sea after sinking off Indian coast

Watch the moment a containership carrying oil and hazardous cargo sinks off the coast on India.

Video footage recorded from the Indian Coast Guard shows a Liberian-flagged vessel slowly descending into the Arabian Sea.

All 24 crew members on board were rescued however some of the ship’s 640 containers have been spotted floating towards the shore, prompting the state of Kerala in south west India to issue a high alert.

Authorities fear that harmful substances from the ship and its cargo could endanger wildlife and people in the area, which is a well-known tourist spot.

Residents have been cautioned against touching any cargo that washes up, whilst fishermen have been told not to sail too close to the sunken vessel.

Tiny plastic pellets have since been found on beaches in Kerala.