Egypt’s Suez Canal has been blocked by a large container ship that ran aground after losing control, causing a traffic jam of cargo vessels in the region.

Tug boats were deployed to help shift the 400m-long (1312ft) and 59m-wide ship – the Ever Given – but there are fears it could remain trapped for days.

The incident occurred just north of the port of Suez early on Tuesday.

The waterway connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, providing the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe.

The Ever Given, registered in Panama, was bound for the port city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands from China and was passing northwards through the canal on its way to the Mediterranean.

It became trapped at about 07:40 local time (05:40 GMT) on Tuesday.