SHIJIAZHUANG - Three people have been arrested in connection with the death of four fishing crew, police announced.

There had been an altercation between the crew of two fishing boats, one from Tangshan City in north China's Hebei province and another from the neighboring province of Shandong, in the early hours of Oct. 7 in the Bohai Sea, according to the Leting County government, which is administered by Tangshan.

The Tangshan boat, which had 16 people on board, sank after a collision with the other vessel, according to the government on Thursday.

Four people were found after the boat was lifted from water on Tuesday. Eight fishermen remain unaccounted for.