BEIJING, March 19 (Reuters) - Two cargo ships collided off east China, killing eight people and leaving nine missing, Xinhua news agency said on Monday. A Hong Kong-registered boat with 29 crew sank after the collision off Zhejiang province late on Saturday and eight bodies had been found, Xinhua said. Twelve crew were rescued. Local maritime authorities were searching for the missing nine with helicopters and more than 40 vessels, it added. The cause of accident was being investigated, Xinhua said, without disclosing what the ships were carrying. Workers had begun to clear oil leaking into the sea, it said.
