A Taiwanese fishing boat has capsized in waters off the southwestern Japanese island of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture. Japan's Coast Guard is searching for seven people who were reportedly on board.

Coast Guard officials said they received a report about the capsizing of the boat around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

They said their helicopter found the boat drifting with its bottom up about 150 kilometers north of the island shortly after 2 p.m.

The fishing boat was reportedly carrying one Taiwanese and six Indonesians.

The officials said the helicopter looked around the area during the day, but found none of the missing. The Coast Guard is continuing its search.

Sources in Taiwan said the vessel weighs more than 53 tons, and that it left a port in northern Taiwan late at night on February 27.