A fishing boat, registered in Quanzhou, East China's Fujian province, sank in waters near the Pingtan island in the Taiwan Straits early Sunday morning, according to the province's maritime safety authority.

The accident took place shortly after 4 am.

By 10 am, 12 of the 14 people onboard were missing, and two were saved.

The rescue operation remains in progress. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Previous reports claimed the boat collided with another boat before sinking.

A fishing boat, registered in Quanzhou, East China's Fujian province, sinks in waters near the Pingtan island in the Taiwan Straits early Sunday morning.  [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]