Two boats collided on the East China Sea near Wenzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang Province Tuesday morning, sinking one boat and leaving three people missing.

According to sources with Wenzhou City Marine Bureau, the sunken boat was from east China's Fujian Province and carried 600 tons of bricks when the collision occurred in the Beiji sea area at around 6: 25 AM Tuesday.

Five of the eight people on board the Fujian boat have been rescued.

The other boat was also damaged, but no one was hurt.

Rescuers said the accident was probably caused by the foggy weather, which had persisted for several days and continues to disrupt research and rescue efforts.

The specific cause of the accident is under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency February 18, 2005)