A dozen ships and one navy helicopter have been sent to South China Sea waters off the coast of Sanya City on the southern tip of Hainan Island to help rescue 11 fishermen who have been missing since their boat was submerged early Sunday morning.

Sources from the Hainan Provincial Salvage Center said the ill-fated wooden fishing boat, with a dead weight tonnage of 53 tons, sunk 40 sea miles to the southeast of Sanya.

The center quickly mobilized ships to the site of the accident to search for the missing fishermen while issuing navigation warnings via radio programs to ask passing ships to give a helping hand in the search.

One fisherman, Wu Xueshi, an 18-year-old man, was rescued 11 sea miles from the site of the accident Monday afternoon. According to Wu, there were 12 fishermen aboard the wooden boat.

The search is still going on in an expanded area, sources with the center said Tuesday.

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