SEOUL, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen sailors were rescued Thursday from a South Korean fishing boat, which got the stern under water after colliding with a Japanese fishing boat, according to local media reports.

The collision occurred at about 9:38 a.m. local time (0038 GMT) in waters some 330 km northeast of disputed islets which were called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan.

Following the collision with the 100-ton Japanese ship, the 48-ton South Korean fishing vessel sank in the stern. All of the 13 sailors aboard the ship were saved by private fishing boats sailing nearby.

No casualties were reported from the Japanese fishing boat, according to local media reports. The South Korean coast guard was trying to figure out the cause of the incident.