Two fishing boats capsized in the sea off east China's Zhejiang Province after being rammed by unidentified ships in two separate incidents, leaving 14 sailors missing, the local maritime authorities said on Tuesday.

One of the boat, "Zhedingyu No. 14413", registered in Zhoushan City, was hit by a foreign ship and sank in the seawaters near Shengsi County in the early morning of Tuesday.

Only one of the seven sailors on the boat has been rescued and the maritime authorities are busying searching for the remaining six. The local maritime bureau said the foreign ship disappeared after the accident.

In a separate accident, a fishing boat named "Zhepuyu No. 72329", registered in the same city, sank at 6:50 PM on Monday in the seawaters 55 nautical miles east of Shipu port, Xiangshan County.

The local maritime bureau said all 12 sailors on board the boat fell into the sea after being hit by an unidentified ship, which also disappeared after the accident.

The bureau said four sailors clambered onto a life raft and were rescued two hours later by a passing ship.

It said the rescue operation was halted by heavy fog and the survival chances of the remaining eight were slim.

(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2006)