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Bodies of missing sailors found in US destroyer

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald, damaged by colliding with a Philippine-flagged merchant vessel, is seen at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald, damaged by colliding with a Philippine-flagged merchant vessel, is seen at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka
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The bodies of a number of sailors who were missing after the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a container vessel were found in flooded compartments of the damaged ship, the U.S. Seventh Fleet said on Sunday.


Japanese media said all seven of the sailors who had been reported missing were found dead.


"Divers were able to access the space and found a number of bodies," the Seventh Fleet said in a statement.


It said in an earlier statement the sailors were being transferred to a U.S. naval hospital where they would be identified.


"The families are being notified and being provided the support they need during this difficult time," the Seventh Fleet said.


The Fitzgerald, an Aegis guided missile destroyer, collided with the Philippine-flagged merchant vessel more than three times its size some 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka early on Saturday.


Three people were medically evacuated to the US Naval Hospital in Yokosuka after the collision, including the ship's commanding officer, Commander Bryce Benson, who was reported to be in stable condition, the Navy said. Reuters


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