Japanese coastal guards have rescued six crew members of a sunken Chinese fishing boat in the East China Sea.

According to China's Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese fishing boat sank after colliding with a Greek cargo ship in the sea area early on Thursday morning, in bad weather conditions.

Apart from the rescued, eight crew members aboard the Chinese vessel went missing.

According to Japan's Kyodo News, Japanese coastal guard sent rescue vessels and aircraft to the area after receiving a report.

The search for the eight missing is still underway.