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Seven sailors are reportedly missing and 3 injured after a US Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan. The Japanese Coast Guard said it received an emergency call from a Philippine-registered container ship ACX Crystal at around 2:20 AM (local time) that it had collided with the USS Fitzgerald at a location about 12 miles southeast of the Irozaki cape.
According to Japan Times a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Japan early Saturday, with at least three members of the destroyer’s crew — including its commander — requiring medical evacuation and leaving seven sailors missing.
The cause of the collision, which occurred 56 nautical miles (103 km) southwest of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, remained unclear.
The Japan Coast Guard was on the scene, providing assistance to the damaged USS Fitzgerald at the request of the U.S. Navy.
Seven sailors were unaccounted for, according to the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet. The ship and the coast guard was continuing to search for them.
Footage from the Japanese TV today showed heavy damage to the mid-right side of the Navy ship, which appeared to be stationary in the water, and a person in a stretcher being lifted to a helicopter.
The US 7th Fleet said on its Facebook page that it is working with the Japanese Coast Guard to conduct a medical evacuation for a sailor, and that there are currently no reports of deaths. The fleet said the number of injuries is still being determined.
The Pacific Fleet said the extent of injuries and damage to the Fitzgerald are being determined, and the incident is under investigation.
The extent of damage was being determined, but the 7th Fleet said the vessel had “suffered damage on her starboard side above and below the waterline.” The ship “had experienced flooding in some spaces” and was operating on its own power, although propulsion was limited.
PHOTO ANN