The capsizing of a fishing boat has left one person missing off China's south coast, a Hainan Provincial Maritime Bureau spokesman said on Monday.

Five other people were rescued by other fishing craft in the area, the official said.

The boat collided with another vessel of unknown description at about 11:30 a.m. in the Qiongzhou Strait, 23 nautical miles northeast of Haikou, the capital of Hainan province, according to the spokesman.

The boat capsized and all six people aboard were thrown into the water.

The maritime rescue services have been searching for the missing, but poor visibility has slowed their work, the spokesman said.

(Xinhua News Agency, April 1, 2008)