The vessel carrying five people sank on Sunday morning "in a rocky area of Insua Island" in the northern municipality of Caminha, Portugal's National Maritime Authority said in a statement.

Portuguese and Spanish authorities deployed boats and aircraft in a rescue mission, saving the vessel's master and an Indonesian fisherman, who were "transported in a conscious state to a hospital unit" by firefighters.

Spain's maritime rescue service identified the Portuguese fishing vessel "Vila de Caminha", sharing images on social media of a capsized boat being tossed by waves at the mouth of the Minho river that marks the border with Portugal.

A second statement from the National Maritime Authority, who had earlier identified the missing as Indonesians, said "the searches were suspended late this afternoon without the victims being found and will resume tomorrow morning".

Portugal's former Socialist government maintained one of Europe's most open migration policies, with Asian immigrants filling jobs in fishing, farming and hospitality.

A change of sentiment has since prevailed, epitomised by the rise of the far-right, anti-immigration Chega party, which supplanted the Socialists as the main opposition to the minority centre-right government in this year's election.

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