Maritime authorities have been called in to assist in the search and rescue of 11 fishermen missing at sea off Cape Town, South African Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy said, as quoted by local media.
20 fishermen were on board and nine have been rescued, she added. The nine rescued crew members managed to launch the emergency vessel and were picked up by a passing ship, the minister said.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the missing fishermen and their families as we await news of the search and rescue operation," Creecy said.
Rescue efforts were launched Friday after reports that a fishing vessel sank about 30 nautical miles off the Atlantic coast, according to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).
The agency added that five fishing boats set out to search for people, later joined by a helicopter and an airplane.
It is not known what caused the ship to sink, NSRI concluded.