Seven US Navy crew missing after collision off Japan
Seven crew members of US Navy are missing after their ship collided with a merchant vessel off the coast of Japan.
Ships commanding officer is among the injured who have been taken to hospital by helicopter.
On Saturday 17th June 2017, The Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with the container ship ACX Crystal about 56 nautical miles (103km) south-west of Yokosuka at about 2:30am local time.
Aerial image of the ship has shown heavy damage to the destroyer.
According to the Navy Officials, the ship’s commanding officer, Cmdr Bryce Benson, was in a stable condition after being transferred to US Naval Hospital Yokosuka.
The US 7th fleet through twitter has said that two other sailors had been flown to the hospital by helicopter for treatments for “lacerations and bruises.”
Earlier through a tweet the US 7th fleet had said that the USS Fitzgerald had experienced flooding in some areas, and the full extent of injuries was being determined.
It further added that the 154m ship was now on its way to Yokosuka under its own power, but with limited propulsion.
The area where the collision had taken place is extremely busy, with ships heading in and out of Tokyo bay.
But the USS Fitzgerald is one of the most sophisticated ships and is equipped with latest radar technology.
Loads of questions will be asked about why the crew had failed to avoid collision with a 200m (700ft) long container ship.
The coast guard said the ACX Crystal container ship carried a Filipino flag and weighed just under 30,000 tonnes, about three times that of the USS Fitzgerald.
It sustained lighter damage to the port bow, according to Japanese national broadcaster NHK.
In a statement released on social media, US Navy operations chief Adm John Richardson said: “As more information is learnt we will be sure to share it with the Fitzgerald families and when appropriate the public. […]All our thoughts and concerns are with the Fitzgerald crew and their families.”
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