With the approach of typhoon Haima, rescuers were forced to suspend their search for the 16 missing fishermen whose boat capsized Friday on the East China Sea.

A fishing boat from Xiapu County, Fujian Province, with 16 people on board capsized at sea 70 nautical miles off Nanqi island of Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, at about 5:00 PM Friday when the boat encountered winds of force 10.

According to local sources, the fishermen sought help from nearby ships, but the strong gale blocked helping efforts.

Local governments sent rescuers to the scene after receiving the accident report, but with the warning of typhoon Haima, they stopped their efforts Sunday afternoon after 40 hours of searching, rescue organizers said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2004)