7 missing sailors found dead in USS Fitzgerald crash

Sailors missing after the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off Japan have been found dead, the US Navy and Japanese media says.

The Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a statement that searchers found the bodies Sunday morning, Japan time, after the guided-missile destroyer returned to its base in Japan.

The USS Fitzgerald guided-missile destroyer collided with the Philippine-flagged merchant ship ACX Crystal on Friday 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan.

“As search and rescue crews gained access to the spaces that were damaged during the collision, the missing sailors were located in the flooded berthing compartments,” it added.

“They are currently being transferred to naval hospital Yokosuka where they will be identified. The families are being notified and being provided the support they need during this difficult time. The names of the sailors will be released after all notifications are made.”

Earlier, the 7th Fleet said the U.S. ship sustained damage on its starboard side and experienced flooding in some spaces.

Vice Adm. Joseph P. Aucoin of the 7th fleet said at a press conference Sunday the damage was “extensive,” adding that there was a big puncture and gash below the waterline on one side of the ship. He also said three compartments were severely damaged.

The USS Fitzgerald is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, commissioned in 1995, and is based in Yokosuka, according to the US Navy.