Two sailors were rescued and nine others went missing Monday after a Chinese fishing boat capsized off Eocheong island near Gusan, about 180 km southwest of South Korea's capital Seoul, according to Yonhap news agency.

The 99-ton vessel was overturned in the waters, some 150 km southwest of the island at around 8:53 a.m. local time (2353 GMT Sunday).

Of the 11 crew members aboard the ill-fated ship, two were rescued by a cargo ship sailing in nearby waters, but the remaining nine were still unaccounted for.

The South Korean coast guard dispatched four patrol ships and a helicopter to the scene for search and rescue operations.