Two fishermen were rescued from the sea off south China's Guangdong Province on Friday morning, 16 hours after their boat sank, according to local rescuers.

At around 8 a.m., a vessel from the South China Sea Salvage Bureau rescued the two survivors, who along with three others were aboard a boat that sank at around 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Two of the three have been confirmed dead, while the other remains missing, said a spokesman for the bureau, adding that the search for the missing is under way.

The fishermen sailed from Yangjiang City early on Thursday and the accident occurred when they were heading back home.

The survivors said that none of them were wearing life jackets when they fell into the water. The two swam for several hours before reaching an islet where they called for help.