Bodies of US navy sailors found in stricken Fitzgerald
June 18, 2017
YOKOHAMA- The bodies of U.S. Navy sailors have been found in the USS Fitzgerald, which was damaged in a collision with a container ship off central Japan on Saturday, Navy sources said Sunday. The Navy's Seventh Fleet, based in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, searched the spaces inside the Aegis destroyer damaged in the accident, which left seven Fitzgerald crew members missing. The bodies were found in flooded compartments, the sources said, adding that the search inside the ship has been terminated. The Japan Coat Guard's third regional headquarters also ended its sea search after being told by the U.S. side that nobody went missing in seas. The Navy did not say how many bodies have been found. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a message of condolences to U.S. President Donald Trump. The coast guard headquarters, based in Yokohama, the capital of Kanagawa, is questioning crew members of the Philippine-registered container ship, the ACX Crystal. The collision occurred 2 kilometers southeast of the Irozaki cape in Minamiizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, west of Kanagawa, in the small hours of Saturday. The accident injured three aboard the U.S. destroyer, including the captain, and left the seven members missing. After the collision, the U.S. warship returned to the Navy's Yokosuka base, while the container ship arrived at the Oi pier in Tokyo. The USS Fitzgerald was damaged mainly in the central part of its starboard side, while the container ship sustained damage in the left-hand side near the bow. Crew members of the commercial vessel said the collision happened as the two ships were sailing in the same direction, coast guard headquarters sources said. The headquarters suspects that the container vessel collided with the USS Fitzgerald from its right rear. Under the Japan-U.S. status of forces agreement, the United States has the primary right to exercise jurisdiction over the damaged Aegis destroyer. The Japan Coast Guard is discussing with the United States how far the two sides can cooperate in the investigations into the accident. But it is uncertain whether the U.S. side will cooperate, because the Aegis ship with ballistic missile defense capability carries sophisticated systems treated as military secrets. (Jiji Press)
Latest Videos
- GEORGE SOROS BLASTED THE U S FOR SUPPORTING ISRAEL ON NOT WORKING WITH HAMAS
- WIKILEAKS REVELATIONS SHOW U S ‘IGNORED’ TORTURE FROM THE WAR IN IRAQ
- THE ROOTS OF THE ISRAEL PALESTINE CONFLICT
- TUCKER CARLSON QUESTIONS U.S SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL WAR
- RFK Jr TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT AS INDEPENDENT, DECLARING INDEPENDENCE FROM THE TWO POLITICAL PARTIES
- JAPANESE VIROLOGIST SAYS OMICRON MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED
- JAPANESE VIEW & FILIPINO BEAUTY