The search for 19 sailors missing after two separate accidents in South China's Beibu Gulf is continuing, rescuers said on Sunday.

The accidents, involving a total of 35 sailors, occurred in the early hours of Friday and Saturday. Sixteen sailors have been rescued so far.

All twelve crewmembers of "Qionglingao 10021" are missing. The fishing boat, which was carrying 50 tons, capsized 33 nautical miles (61 kilometers) northwest of Yangpu Harbor in Hainan Province at 2 AM on Friday. They were still unaccounted for after two days of rescue efforts.

A helicopter and three rescue boats have been dispatched to the area to search for survivors and the operation is reportedly ongoing. The reason for the sinking of the fishing boat is as yet unknown.

"Zhehai No.308," a freighter carrying over 5,400 tons of rolled steel, was heading from Jingtang Harbor in the northern province of Hebei to Vietnam when it suddenly sank early Saturday morning.

A source from the Nanhai Salvage Bureau of the Ministry of Communications said two salvage vessels and one helicopter have been dispatched to search for the remaining missing sailors in the sea areas at and around the accident site.

The second mate, among the sixteen rescued, recalled that the cargo ship began tilting to one side at around 4 AM, probably due to cargo movement, and sank quickly at about 5 AM.

He said some of the sailors aboard managed to escape on its only life raft.

It is reported that the Beibu Gulf has been experiencing bad weather with strong winds of force 7 to 8, with the height of some waves reaching 3 to 4 meters.

(China Daily February 21, 2005)