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Bodies Recovered From The USS Fitzgerald After Collision At Sea

Seven sailors were reported missing after a collision between a U.S. Navy destroyer and a merchant vessel off the coast of Japan.

By: Grant Suneson , Jake Jones

Posted at 11:20 AM, Jul 22, 2017

and last updated 2017-07-22 11:20:39-04

The U.S. Navy found "a number" of bodies after seven sailors went missing after a collision with a merchant vessel.

The USS Fitzgerald and the civilian ship collided at 2:30 a.m. local time Saturday, causing damage to the Fitzgerald's forward starboard side. It's unclear what caused the collision.

Search and rescue teams found the bodies in the damaged areas of the ship that flooded after the crash.

The Navy did not say if any of the missing sailors survived. Officials will release the names of those killed after all their families are notified.

Three members of the missile destroyer's crew, including its commanding officer Cmdr. Bryce Benson, were injured and medically evacuated off the ship.

Both Japanese and American officials are investigating the cause of the collision.