HANGZHOU, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- Eleven people are missing after their fishing boat hit a rock in the East China Sea on early Monday morning, state-run media reported.

The state-run Xinhua news agency cited maritime officials as saying that a fishing boat hit a rock near Dongji Isle off the coast of Taizhou City in Zhejiang Province at around 1 a.m. local time. Two rescue vessels were sent while civilian ships in the area were asked to join the rescue operations.

By 9 a.m. local time, rescuers had still not found the boat and officials believe the vessel has sunk, Xinhua added. Other details were not immediately available.

(Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)