BEIJING, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- A Chinese fishing boat carrying an unknown number of people sank after being hit by a South Korean ship off the west coast of South Korea, officials said.

China launched an air search of the area Thursday, a day after the collision, Xinhua, the official government news agency, reported

. A helicopter and airplane were dispatched to the area from China and South Korea supplied several patrol boats and another airplane.

By Thursday night, three lifejackets and two barrels from the missing boat had been discovered, the Global Times reported. Searchers found no trace of the crew.

The search was hampered by Typhoon Kompasu.

The 1,250-ton container ship, owned by HC Freight, is believed to have struck the 30-foot fishing boat in an area near Gyengnyelbi Island that has long been considered dangerous. Shipwrecks, some of them dating back centuries, dot the area.