Tragedy at sea as US destroyer collides with merchant ship
US Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Japan this weekend, with seven sailors on the vessel losing their lives.
The ship returned to Yokosuka, Japan, where the Seventh Fleet is based, aided by tugboats, but the search continues for crew still missing from the disaster.
The fleet’s commander Vice Admiral Joseph P Aucoin said, “This has been a difficult day.”
US president Donald Trump expressed his condolences on Twitter.
There is no immediate explanation to the cause of the collision, but a statement from the Seventh Fleet said the crash had caused, “significant damage and associated flooding to two berthing spaces, a machinery space, and the radio room”.
Recovery operations are still underway at the site, with the Japan coast guard dispatching five patrol ships to the site to commence search and rescue operations.
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