The U.S. Navy said yesterday that one of its destroyers collided with a Philippine-flagged merchant vessel southwest of Yokosuka, Japan, in the dead of night and Japanese media reported that seven U.S. crew members were missing.
The Navy said in a statement that the USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant vessel at about 2:30 a.m. local time (1730 GMT), some 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, a rare incident on a busy waterway.
A U.S. official said that the Fitzgerald was still working to account for all personnel and could not confirm if any were missing.
The Navy said one injured U.S. sailor would be evacuated by a Japanese coast guard helicopter.
"The USS Fitzgerald suffered damage on her starboard side above and below the waterline," the Navy said in a statement.
It said the destroyer had experienced some flooding, and that the full extent of damage to the ship and injuries to its crew were still being determined.
It said the Fitzgerald was operating under its own power, "although her propulsion is limited".
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