Dubai, Jan 31 (IANS): Two Indian sailors were killed and several others were reported missing after a Panamanian-flagged tanker caught fire off the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) coast, the government here announced.

The UAE Federal Authority for Land and Maritime Transport said efforts were to trace the missing persons, whose nationalities were not known, the Khaleej Times reported on Friday.

The Authority said the fire, which broke out on board the tanker 21 miles off the UAE coast on Wednesday night, was quickly brought under control by firefighters.

"Rescue and emergency response teams provided relief to the crew after they received a distress call and rescued the tanker's crew," the Authority said in a statement on Thursday.

According to sources, the tanker had around 55 people on board, including 12 crew members at the time of the accident.

Two Indians perished in the fire while two others were reported to be critical.

Another 10 were said to be missing, the sources added.

However, Khaleej Times did not independently verify the information and an official response was awaited.