At least three people died, six were hurt and 10 are missing after a container ship ramed a control tower in the Italian port city of Genoa last night.

One of the harbour's main control towers was destroyed in the incident, the head of the Genoa Port Authority told local Genoa television station Primocanale.

Two of the dead were harbour officials and the third was one of the pilots, he said, calling it a "terrible tragedy".

The crash happened as the ship, owned by a local ship operator, was manoeuvring out of the port with the assistance of tugboats, under the control of two pilots.

The huge control tower was more than 50 metres high. Three people were believed to have been trapped in the lift of the control tower and may have fallen into the sea.

Television pictures showed the area around the crash lit up by floodlights as rescue services searched the water near the tower for survivors or bodies.

The incident occurred at around 11pm in calm conditions. The ship, the Jolly Nero is owned by a local fleet operator Ignazio Messina and Co.