Four people were killed and 15 others are missing after a Spanish fishing trawler sank off Canada's east coast overnight Monday, Spain's transport ministry said. 

Rescuers saved three crew members and were continuing to search the area off Newfoundland on Canada's Atlantic coast where the ship sank, a spokesman for the ministry told media. 

Spanish media reported that there were 22 sailors aboard the vessel when it went down, 12 of whom are Spaniards, two are Ghanaians and the rest are Peruvians.