JINAN - Ten bodies have been found and 16 people remain missing after two ships sank in separate accidents off the coast of East China's Shandong province, local authorities said Monday.

Rescuers on boats and in helicopters are continuing their search, according to the Shandong Maritime Safety Administration. Strong gales were blamed for causing the two accidents.

Seven of the dead had been aboard the Tianjin-registered cargo ship ZIHAISHUN, which sank off Weihai city at 2:58 am Monday. Seven people on the ship remain unaccounted for, the administration said.

Another cargo ship, XINGLONGZHOU65, registered in Zhejiang province, sank offshore from Yantai city around 9 pm Sunday. The bodies of three people aboard the ship have been retrieved, while nine others remain missing.

The 88-meter-long XINGLONGZHOU65, which was carrying stone, lost contact with marine authorities after it lost power, the administration said in a previous report.