Bodies of 7 missing sailors found aboard damaged ship

The destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan, and three injuries have been reported and the bodies of seven crew members who were missing have been found, according to the Navy.

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Search crews found the missing sailors after they were able to gain access to parts of the ship that were damaged in the collision.

The remains are being taken to the Naval Hospital Yokosuka for identification.

In a brief written statement, the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii said the Navy requested assistance from the Japanese Coast Guard. The boat returned safely to its home port of Yokosuka, Japan on Saturday night, ending its 17-hour ordeal.

The Fitzgerald collided with a merchant ship 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan.

Cmdr. Bryce Benson, commander of the guided missile destroyer, was one of three injured personnel who needed to be flown to a naval hospital in Yokosuka, Japan,

reported. He is in stable condition, the Navy said.

The Fitzgerald is based in Yokosuka and has a crew of approximately 330 sailors.

The damage to the ship is extensive, the

reported. Images show that the ship had taken on massive amounts of water. A news release from U.S. Seventh Fleet confirmed that two berthing spaces, an auxiliary machine room and the ship’s radio room all flooded.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group