A banned Russian cargo ship previously used for military supplies sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria after an explosion in its engine room.

Two crew members are missing from the Ursa Major, while 14 have been rescued and brought to Spain, the Russian foreign ministry said.

Video footage of the ship heavily listing to its starboard side with its bow much lower down in the water than usual was filmed on Dec 23 by a passing ship.

LSEG ship tracking data show that the vessel departed from the Russian port of St Petersburg on Dec 11 and was last seen sending a signal at 10.04pm GMT on Monday between Algeria and Spain.

It had indicated that its next port of call was the Russian port of Vladivostok.

The Ursa Major previously called at the Syrian port of Tartus, a Russian navy stronghold that Moscow recently abandoned after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.