Hong Kong authorities have helped in the rescue of five crew aboard a yacht stranded about 210 nautical miles off Sri Lanka.

The crew were saved by nearby vessels in the Indian Ocean under the Marine Department's co-ordination yesterday.

Three men rescued by a Singaporean tanker are now heading for Oman, while the other two rescued by a Greek tanker are heading for Singapore. They are all in good condition.

The 18-metre yacht, with an expired Hong Kong licence, sent out a distress call at 5.30am after it encountered extreme weather and heavy waves. It sank slowly after the engine compartment flooded.

The department's Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre contacted Sri Lanka for assistance, but was told that rescue vessels could not be deployed due to radio system damage.

Under the centre's co-ordination, nine vessels responded to the search and rescue request, and three in the vicinity came to render assistance.

The operation was stood down at about 3pm.