(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-07 15:48

SEOUL -- Six Chinese sailors were missing after their fishing boat collided with a South Korean bulk cargo ship on waters 175 km south off South Korea's Mara island, South Korea's Coast Guard said Monday.

"Two crew members of the fishing boat were rescued by the cargo ship while the rescued sailors are in good health," said Kim Hyung- wook, officer of the Korea Coast Guard's Jeju Bureau.

According to Kim, the accident occurred at 08:45 a.m. Monday local time (2345 GMT Sunday) when the Chinese fishing boat "Lujiao Yu" collided with South Korea's 16,400-ton Panbless cargo ship. The cargo ship rescued two Chinese sailors but failed to find the rest crew members missing with the sunken boat.

"The cargo reported that the weather condition in the area was bad due to heavy fog," Kim told Xinhua through telephone.