BEIJING, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- At least ten people are missing after a freighter sank following a collision on Friday evening off the eastern coast of China, officials said on early Saturday.

The Panama-flagged freighter 'Oriental Sunrise' sank at around 7.35 p.m. Beijing time when it collided with another Panama-flagged vessel, a cargo ship identified as the 'Hamburg Bridge,' off the coast of eastern China's Qingdao city.

Officials from the Qingdao Municipal Government told the state-run Xinhua news agency that the 'Oriental Sunrise' was carrying 19 crew members. All of them are believed to be nationals of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).

Shortly after the accident, search and rescue operations were launched and emergency teams from the local maritime rescue center were able to rescue nine crew members, including three who were injured. However, ten others remain missing.

Search and rescue teams, which includes a fleet of thirteen ships, was continuing their search efforts on early Saturday morning. The cause of the accident was not immediately known.

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