An oil tanker has run aground and exploded on the south China coast after a signal flare ignited its cargo, Xinhua news agency has said.

Two crew members were reported missing and eight were seriously injured.

The vessel hit rocks while seeking shelter from a tropical storm now lashing the area.

It was transporting solvent oil from Nanjing, a port on the Yangtze River, to Guangzhou, the capital of southern Guangdong province.

The tanker was ruptured as it drew close to land, sending oil pouring into the sea.

The captain and 15 sailors abandoned the ship and fired a flare to attract help. Instead, the flare ignited the leaking oil, setting the tanker aflame and triggering an explosion.

Missing

Fourteen crew members were rescued, but two others are still missing. Eight seamen were being treated for severe burns at a local hospital.

There was no information about environmental damage.

The Hong Kong Observatory has hoisted tropical cyclone warning signal number eight, its third highest storm warning.

Tropical storm Hagupit was expected to strike the western part of Guangdong early on Thursday.

Hagupit is a Philippine word for "lashing".