A tanker loaded with sulphuric acid has capsized on the Rhine in Germany and rescuers are trying to find two missing crew members.

It was not know why the ship capsized near St. Goarshausen. The other two crew members were rescued.

The ship was carrying 2,400 tons of sulphuric acid. Initial measurements carried out downstream from the scene showed no abnormalities and there were no indications that the load was leaking, shipping officials said.

Authorities closed the river to shipping. They were working to secure the tanker.

The German-owned ship was on its way from Ludwigshafen in south-western Germany to Antwerp, Belgium.

The accident happened on a picturesque stretch of the Rhine near the famed Loreley cliff.