7 U.S. Sailors Unaccounted for After Navy Destroyer Collides With Ship Off Japan

Aerial footage of the badly damaged USS Fitzgerald pic.twitter.com/LvmoZunvrA

— Strategic Sentinel (@StratSentinel) June 16, 2017

Seven U.S. sailors are unaccounted for after a Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship southwest of Yokosuka, Japan, early Saturday local time, the Navy said.

The USS Fitzgerald, a 505-foot destroyer, collided with a Philippine container vessel at approximately 2:30 a.m. Saturday local time (1:30 p.m. ET Friday), about 56 nautical miles of Yokosuka, the U.S. 7th Fleet said.

The ship, which had experienced some flooding after the collision, and the Japanese Coast Guard were searching for the seven unaccounted-for sailors, the Fleet said.

"Right now we are focused on two things: the safety of the ship and the well-being of the Sailors," Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in a statement. "We thank our Japanese partners for their assistance."

Photos (via Reuters) of damage to US Navy destroyer #USSFitzgerald (DDG 62) following collision w/ merchant vessel. pic.twitter.com/5ixtlJlt7K

— David Bober (@mrdavidboberesq) June 17, 2017