Ship with 2,400 tonnes of sulphuric acid capsizes on Rhine river in Germany

A ship carrying 2,400 tonnes of sulphuric acid capsized Thursday on Germany's Rhine river, blocking traffic on one of Europe's busiest waterways amid a frantic search for two crew members. According to preliminary indications, the vessel's tanks seemed to be intact, authorities said, with "no obvious damage" to the acid containers.

"There does not seem to have been any acid leakage into the water, according to an initial, provisional investigation," said Ralf Schomisch, a spokesman for police in nearby Koblenz. Sulphuric acid is an extremely corrosive liquid, AFP says.

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, The Press Association informs.