Iranian oil tanker off coast of China has 'suddenly ignited' and sunk: Report

A stricken Iranian oil tanker that had drifted into Japan's exclusive economic zone "suddenly ignited" at noon, and has sunk, reported Chinese state television on Sunday.

According to CCTV, footage filmed off a screen in the Shanghai Maritime Search and Rescue Centre showed the flames of the burning ship rising as high as 800 to 1000 metres.

The ship which had 32 mariners on board, carrying almost 1 million barrels of condensate, has been ablaze for almost a week since it collided with another vessel in the East China Sea.

Two bodies were recovered from the tanker a day earlier when a four-member salvage team managed to get onboard.

The ship was heading towards China. 

(With Reuters inputs)