SHANGHAI -?Eleven people were rescued and five remain missing after a container vessel sank off the coast of East China's Jiangsu province, rescuers said Friday.

The cargo vessel, "Xingtai5", sank early Friday morning in the waters off Lyusi, Jiangsu, according to the Shanghai maritime search and rescue center, which received an SOS at 7:28 am Friday.

Two maritime rescue ships and three other vessels rescued 11 crew members from the sea. The search for the remaining five continues, said the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration.

More than 20 containers from the vessel fell into the sea and some were floating.

Maritime authorities have alerted passing vessels to avoid the area.

The cause of the sinking is unclear.