Six Chinese fishermen are missing after their boat sank early Sunday in a collision with a cargo ship from the Republic of Korea (ROK) off the coast of eastern Zhejiang Province, local maritime sources said.

The collision occurred around 2 a.m. Sunday off the coast of Wenzhou, according to maritime police of Zhejiang. The Chinese boat with seven aboard sank immediately after the accident.

By 6:30 a.m., one of the crew members of the Chinese boat has been rescued but the other six are still missing.

The Wenzhou maritime search and rescue center, Zhejiang maritime police, and the ROK ship are still searching the missing at the site.

The cause of the collision is under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2007)