BEIJING - RUSSIA blamed the captain of a cargo ship for an incident in which its border guards opened fire on his 16-strong Chinese and Indonesian crew, reportedly killing eight of them.

China has already asked Russia to investigate the deadly incident, off Russia's far eastern coast on Thursday, and to help trace missing crew members.

'We regret the tragic consequences of this incident,' Russian diplomatic spokesman Andrey Nesterenko told the Ria-Novosti news agency.

'But at the same time, we put all the responsibility on the captain of the New Star, who acted in a totally irresponsible manner,' he added.

'We took exhaustive measures to stop the boat: the border guards fired warning shots, but the New Star continued on its way without reacting to the orders,' he added.

Russian prosecutors said 10 Chinese and six Indonesian sailors were onboard the vessel when the Russian border guards opened fire, Interfax reported.

Russian news reports said eight people had been killed in the incident, although these figures have yet to be confirmed by authorities.

The Sierra Leone-flagged, Chinese-owned vessel New Star had earlier fled the Russian port of Nakhodka where it had been impounded for alleged smuggling, media reports said.

In a video posted online that purportedly captured the incident, a man, apparently a Russian naval officer, is heard repeatedly urging the New Star to halt.

The Russian navy fired over 500 rounds to try to force the cargo ship back to port, China's state-controlled Global Times newspaper said.

Russian news agencies said the eight surviving crew members were rescued and taken to hospital. -- AFP