Six fishermen have died after becoming trapped in their capsized trawler following a collision with a cargoship off Chile.

The 1,000-dwt Comau (built 1982) came into contact with a fishing boat called Victoria in fog in the port of Corral in the Los Rios region on Tuesday morning.

The region's governor said six of seven crew members on the trawler sought refuge in the galley, prompting an operation to try to save them, local media reported.