Twelve people were killed while four remain missing after a fishing boat sank in east China's Zhejiang Province early Sunday morning, the provincial maritime search and rescue center said.

Four people were rescued and are reported to be in stable condition.

The center received a report at 4:28 a.m. that the boat, registered in neighboring Jiangsu Province, capsized about 100 nautical miles east of Zhujiajian Island. 

The center said it dispatched professional salvage vessels and helicopter, and coordinated nearby fishing boats to the scene immediately after the reporting of the incident.