Five fishermen are missing after their fishing boat collided with an unknown vessel that then fled off the coast of south China's Guangdong Province early on Wednesday, local authorities said.

The wooden fishing boat sank after colliding with the unknown vessel along the coast of Lufeng City in the early morning. Seven fishermen aboard the boat fell into the water, and two were subsequently saved by rescuers, the Lufeng Municipal Emergency Affairs Office said in a statement.

The unknown vessel fled the scene following the collision, it said.

Local maritime authorities are searching the area for both the five missing people and the runaway vessel, it added.