NANJING - Six fishermen have been confirmed dead and one remains missing after their vessel collided with a merchant ship in the East China Sea on Wednesday, local authorities said on Sunday.

The accident occurred off the east coast of Jiangsu Province's Guanyun County at about 11 p.m. on Wednesday. One of the fishermen was rescued immediately afterwards, but seven were left missing.

Rescuers later pulled six bodies from the wreckage of the capsized fishing boat and the nearby water.

The government of Lianyungang City, which administers Guanyun, said it is still hunting for the merchant ship that caused the accident.

The survivor said the boat was anchored and the crew were sleeping when the crash happened. He spent half an hour in the cabin before swimming out of the wreckage and being rescued by another fishing boat.