Six people are reported missing after two boats collided in waters off Hong Kong

All 11 men aboard a 96 meter (315 foot) boat carrying construction waste were thrown into the water after a collision with another vessel carrying sand late Thursday, according to government officials and police.

Five people were pulled from the water after the boat carrying waste sank after the collision.

“We’re still searching for the six, we don’t know whether they are dead or alive,” a government spokesman told AFP, adding that they have yet to identify the nationalities of those missing.

Authorities said it was not immediately clear what caused the collision of the two boats which came from mainland China, reports AFP.

The city’s worst maritime catastrophe last October saw a high-speed passenger ferry collide with a pleasure boat carrying around 120 people to watch national day fireworks, leaving 39 people dead.

The captains of the boats involved were each charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and face life in prison if convicted.