A fishing boat that has been missing along with nine fishermen since Sunday was capsized by a heavy haul of fish and sank off the east coast of China, the boat's only rescued crewmember has told rescue officials.

The search for Minxiayu 1121, registered in Fujian Province, continued on Monday, although rescue officials acknowledge the chances of the nine missing crewmen still being alive is "slim".

One fisherman from the missing vessel was picked up from the water at about 10:00 AM on Sunday by a passing freighter from the Republic of Korea (ROK).

The Ningbo Maritime Affairs Bureau, in Zhejiang Province, had dispatched staff to interview the rescued seaman after the freighter docked in Shanghai, said Shen Peng, of the Zhejiang Maritime Affairs Bureau.

The survivor had lost consciousness, but was able to talk later. Shen would give no further details, saying investigations were continuing.

Maritime rescue workers had ruled out the possibility of a collision because initial investigations show no other vessels were in the area when the Minxiayu 1121 sank.

The Minxiayu 1121 and the Minxiayu 1136, also from Fujian, had been fishing together off the coast of Ningbo since Saturday.

The crew of the Minxiayu 1136 called the police early on Sunday after losing contact with the Minxiayu 1121.

More than 10 boats and a helicopter had been searching the area since Sunday afternoon, but no trace of the vessel had been found, Shen said.

Local maritime affairs authorities said they have not received any emergency signals from the missing vessel.

(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2007)