However, fears of an environmental catastrophe appeared to be averted, as the German-flagged vessel's tanks seemed to be intact and initial tests detected no leakage of the highly corrosive acid into the river.

"Measurements taken by the fire brigade have shown that no acid has leaked out of the ship," said Martin Mauermann, a spokesman for Germany's Federal Shipping Administration.

"Shipping is blocked until further notice," he added in a statement.

Authorities said that even if some of the chemical had leaked into the Rhine, damage to the environment would have been limited as it would have been rapidly diluted.

Traffic on the river, a major European shipping artery, was suspended immediately following the accident, which took place around 5:00 am (0400 GMT) near Sankt Goar, northwest of the city of Mainz in western Germany.

The German-flagged ship, the Waldhof, measures roughly 110 metres (360 feet) long and was lying on its left side in the water. Authorities are still investigating what could have caused the accident.

An AFP photographer at the scene said at least two-thirds of the tanker was below the waterline and that the banks of the river were buzzing with fire engines and rescue vehicles while police boats scoured the water.

Meanwhile, helicopters equipped with infrared cameras circled the area in what authorities described as a "frantic" search for the two missing crew members.

"Two members of the crew were rescued but two others are missing," river police spokesman Paul-Heinz Meurisch said.

Following a bitter cold snap in Germany, temperatures are now milder, but the water is still around four degrees celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit).

"The chances of finding both of them alive are unfortunately very slight," said one police spokesman.

One crew member missing is German, the other Czech, authorities said.

The two other crew members were taken to hospital suffering from shock.

The Waldhof was carrying sulphuric acid loaded at Ludwigshafen from BASF, the world's biggest chemical group, a spokesman for the company told AFP.

It was steaming north towards the sea for the Belgian port of Antwerp.

"You could see the ship perfectly fine on the radar and then it suddenly disappeared," said a police spokesman.

The accident occurred near a celebrated rock outcropping known as "Lorelei", named after a mythical nymph who was said to lure mariners to their deaths with enchanting, hypnotic songs.

The site is above a particularly narrow point in the river where the current is very strong and many accidents have taken place in the past.

The scenic gorge is a major tourist draw, with holidaymakers from around the world enjoying cruises up and down the busy river.

Melting snow and rains have swollen waterways in the western German region but it was not immediately known if that was a factor in the accident.

In 2001, the Stolt Rotterdam caught fire while lying at the quays of the Bayer chemical company on the Rhine with around 1,800 tonnes of nitric acid aboard.

It took 10 hours for some 150 firefighters to bring the fire under control.

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