VLADIVOSTOK - A cargo ship with 9 people onboard was still missing off the coast of Russia's Far East, authorities said Monday.

Amurskaya, the vessel, carrying 700 tons of gold ore, lost contact with the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Sea Rescue Coordination Center on Sunday after sending out a distress signal in the Okhotsk Sea, the center said.

An emergency beacon on the ship was turned on near the Shantar Islands at 0515 GMT, it said.

On Sunday, a tanker and a BE-200 amphibious plane of the Ministry for Emergencies had been dispatched for a search and rescue mission, and they were later joined by two trawlers Ternei-1 and Kapitan Gams.

Due to severe storms and strong winds on Monday, the rescuers were now awaiting improved weather conditions to continue their efforts.

Built in 1973, the 55-meter-long Amurskaya has a capacity of 800 tons. Its home port is Nikolayevsk-on-Amur.