Three fishermen were still missing on Nov 20 after their boat sank on Nov 16 in the Bohai Sea near Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province.

Sources from the Maritime Search and Rescue Center of Liaoning said the tragedy could have been prevented if the five fishermen onboard agreed to abandon their boat in time.

As soon as the center answered the emergency call, they arranged for a boat passing nearby to offer help. But the fishermen refused to leave their boat. About two hours later, when they finally made up their mind to abandon, the boat was overwhelmed and all the five fishermen were swallowed by the sea.

Only two were picked up by the rescue team.

It was believed that the fishermen refused to abandon their boat because it carried more than 5,000 kg of fresh fish.

At least three similar accidents have happened within the past half a month, said the rescue center of Liaoning. They had all refused at first to abandon their boats because of money.

The center warned local fishermen not to miss the chance to save their lives.