SHANGHAI, May 23 -- Rescuers have recovered the body of the captain of a Republic of Korea ship that sank off the east China coast 10 days ago after a collision with a container ship.

"The body was found in the captain's cabin on the second floor of the vessel and is believed to be the captain," China News Service quoted a Chinese rescuer as saying.

China's Ministry of Communications confirmed its identity, according to the news agency report.

As of yesterday, Chinese divers had found three bodies of the ship's 16 missing crew members.

The ROK ship, "Golden Rose," which was loaded with 5,900 tons of steel, sank about 3am on Saturday off the coast near Yantai after it collided in heavy fog with the "Jinsheng," a Saint Vincent-registered freighter operated by Shandong Lufeng Shipping Co.

Of the 16 sailors from the "Golden Rose," eight are ROK nationals, seven from Myanmar and one from Indonesia, according to figures from the communications ministry.

Chinese divers recovered the first body of the missing on Monday.

More than 300 Chinese ships and three aircraft, as well as 30 divers and a diving vessel, have taken part in the search of the missing sailors.