A cargo ship with a crew of up to 12 people has crashed into a dyke in choppy seas near Biarritz in southwestern France.

An airborne rescue operation was launched and despite strong winds making efforts to winch those on board to safety perilous, all were evacuated.

Initial reports suggested that one crew member may have been injured when the Spanish-flagged vessel, the Luno, suffered engine failure and slammed into the dyke at Anglet in the French Basque Country.

The impact of the crash saw it break in two.

The vessel was empty at the time but some of its diesel fuel has spilled into the water. Sea pollution clean-up teams have been called in by local authorities.