Six crew members were missing after a cargo ship capsized off south China's Guangdong Province early Friday, local police said.

The ship, which was headed for Guangxi, capsized near Hailing Island off Yangjiang in Guangdong at about 1:30 a.m. One crew member was pulled out of the water by a fishing boat 12 hours later.

According to his account, the ship sank so quickly that those on board didn't have time to put on life vests or get into life rafts. The cause of the accident is under investigation, but the weather was fine at the time.

Rescue boats and helicopters were sent to search for the missing and the Guangdong Provincial Maritime Safety Administrative Bureau notified passing vessels to be on the lookout.

The ship, Changhai 178, was carrying 1,700 tons of steel. It belonged to the Changle Sea Transportation Co. in the neighboring Fujian Province.

<i>Source:Xinhua</i>