Eleven crew members went missing after their fishing boat collided with a merchant ship and capsized off East China coast early on Tuesday, local authorities said.

The accident took place in the sea waters off Zhangzhou city, Fujian province, at about 0:15 am Tuesday, the city's maritime search and rescue center said in a statement.

All 14 fishermen aboard the fishing boat from Quanzhou City fell into the sea waters. Three have been rescued and the others remain missing.

A helicopter and 15 boats are searching the area.

The cause of the collision is being investigated.