Three members of the crew of the Italian tugboat "Franco P", which went missing in the Adriatic in the night between Wednesday and Thursday, have been found dead, and the search continues for another two missing crew members, Croatia's Sea and Transport Ministry said on Thursday evening.

The search is coordinated by Italian and Croatian authorities for search and rescue operations at sea.

Vessels that happened to be in the vicinity of the shipwreck site are also involved.

The Italian tugboat had a crew of six, and the captain has been rescued.

The tugboat also had an auxiliary vessel in which 12 persons were sailing and their lives were not in danger.

The shipwreck happened at the line of demarcation between the Italian and Croatian search and rescue areas of responsibility.