Rescuers are searching for sailors who went missing after a Korean ship sank off China's eastern coast on Saturday, but their whereabouts are still unknown.

Eight of the sailors are Republic of Korea (ROK) nationals, seven are from Myanmar, and one is from Indonesia, according to the Shandong Marine Affairs Bureau.

The ROK vessel, the "Golden Rose," sank off Yantai, east China's Shandong Province, after it collided at around 3 AM on Saturday with the Saint Vincent-registered "Jinsheng," a ship run by Shandong Lufeng Shipping Company Ltd.

The "Golden Rose," loaded with 5,900 tons of steel, was heading from Liaoning to ROK. The container ship "Jinsheng" was heading from Yantai to Dalian.

After the collision, the Jinsheng boat carried on to Dayao Bay in Dalian, a port city in northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Chinese rescuers found two life rafts and items confirmed to have come from the "Golden Rose" on Saturday.

Starting at 5 AM on Sunday, the Shandong Marine Affairs Bureau used helicopters and search boats to widen the search area.

More 30 ships and boats passing through the area were asked to assist with the rescue efforts.

In the meantime, law enforcement officers from the Shandong Marine Affairs Bureau also began to clear up the polluted seawaters following the collision between the two ships, while some technical workers from China National Marine Affairs Bureau went to the site of collision, hoping to find clues as to the location of the submerged boat.

Relatives of the sailors will soon arrive in Yantai. The cause of the collision is still being investigated.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2007)