USS John S McCain: Ten sailors missing and five injured after US warship hits oil tanker near Singapore

Ten sailors are missing and five have been injured after a US warship collided with an oil tanker near Singapore.

The guided missile destroyer USS John S McCain was preparing for a port stop east of Singapore when the crash with the vessel happened.

A search and rescue mission, including US military helicopters, is underway after the collision was reported at about 5.25am local time.

Authorities said the destroyer sustained damage on the left side of the vessel in the crash with the Liberian-flagged ship.

The Alnic MC, the tanker it collided with, was damaged near the front. None of its crew were injured and no oil was spilled.

It was carrying almost 12,000 tonnes of fuel oil.

The US Navy said five sailors were hurt.

Four of them were evacuated by a Singaporean navy helicopter to a hospital in the city-state for treatment.

Their injuries have been described as non-life threatening.

It is the second collision involving a US Navy ship in recent months.

The USS John S McCain's sister ship, the USS Fitzgerald, almost sank off the coast of Japan after it was struck by a Philippine container ship on June 17.

Collisions between warships and other large vessels are extremely rare, with naval historians going back more than 50 years to find a similar previous incident.