A cargo ship was believed to have sunk on Tuesday evening off the coast of the eastern Zhejiang Province, leaving one person dead and eight others missing, the local maritime rescue center said on Wednesday.

According to rescue officials, the ship, carrying sand and with nine people on board, sank in the Fodu sea area near the port city of Ningbo at 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, one body had been found and eight others were still missing. A rescue operation and an investigation were both under way.

(Xinhua News Agency, March 12, 2008)