SHANGHAI – Seventeen people are missing after a Chinese fishing boat rammed on to a foreign cargo ship and sank in the East China Sea on Saturday, state media reported.

China’s coastguard fleet said that two other people had been rescued by passing fishing boats following the pre-dawn crash.

The fishing boat, Lu Rong Yu 58398, reportedly had 19 people on board when the incident happened at 3.40 am. Beijing time. The exact location is still unknown.

A search and rescue operation has been running, but naval officials has said earlier, the rescue efforts are being hindered by poor visibility in the waters where the accident occurred.

The East China Sea is home to a group of uninhabited islets claimed by both China and Japan and previous incidents involving Chinese fishing boats and Japanese patrol ships have stoked diplomatic rows.

– with other agencies