NANNING - Five Vietnamese sailors were rescued after their ship sank in waters off the coast of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, local maritime authorities said Thursday.

The Qinzhou maritime search and rescue center had received a call for help from the HONG AN 08, a Vietnamese ship carrying five crew members, at 5:45 pm on Wednesday. The ship sank in waters near the Qinzhou port around 7 pm, according to sources with the Qinzhou Maritime Safety Administration.

The five crew members were recovered by the search and rescue center after two hours of search and rescue efforts.