One of two British explorer ships that disappeared in the Arctic more than 160 years ago has been found, Canada's prime minister has announced.

Canada announced it would search again for British Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin's ships in 2008.

The HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were last seen in the late 1840s.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said it remains unclear which ship has been found but images show there is enough information to confirm it is one of the pair.

Franklin and 128 hand-picked officers and men vanished on an expedition begun in 1845 to find the fabled Northwest Passage.

His disappearance prompted one of history's largest rescue searches, from 1848 to 1859, which resulted in the passage's discovery.

The route runs from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Arctic archipelago.

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