All 37 sailors on board a cargo ship are missing after the vessel sank late Thursday night after striking a reef on the sea near Dongjia island in east China, official sources said.
The accident took place at around 11 pm (8:30 pm IST) Thursday, sources with Fujian Maritime Safety Administration said.
Rescuers are searching for the missing persons though their survival chances are quite slim, Xinhua news agency reported.
It is learnt that the cargo ship loaded with aquatic products was heading for Indonesia.
An earlier report had identified the vessel as a fishing boat and the number of persons missing was given as 27.