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Catastrophe

'Some remains' found in search for US sailors

August 22, 2017

The remains of some missing Navy sailors have been found in a compartment of the USS John S. McCain, a US commander has said. Ten sailors went missing after the destroyer collided with an oil tanker off Singapore.

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The USS John S. McCain
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/U.S. Navy/J. Fulton

One body and other human remains were uncovered during a search for 10 sailors who went missing on a US destroyer collision, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet announced on Tuesday.

"Divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today," US Admiral Scott Swift told reporters in Singapore.

He added that it was "premature to say how many and what the status of recovery of those bodies is."

Read more: USS John S. McCain - Why maritime regulations are crucial to avoid collisions

Malaysian navy crews participating in a three-nation air and sea search for the sailors had also found a body, Swift confirmed.

He said the body found by the Malaysians would have to be identified to "determine whether it's one of the missing sailors or not."

Damage on the USS John S. McCain
The crash ripped a six-foot-long hole in the hull of the USS John S. McCainImage: Getty Images/U.S. Navy

"We will continue the search and rescue operations until the probability of discovering sailors is exhausted," Swift added.

Five other sailors were injured when the USS John S. McCain collided with a Liberian-flagged oil tanker early on Monday in busy shipping lanes around the Strait of Singapore.

The crash tore a huge hole in the warship's hull, flooding the vessel with water.

Read more: US Navy vessel collides with ship off Singapore

US Navy launches investigation

It was the second fatal collision in two months after the USS Fitzgerald collided with a cargo ship off Japan in June, killing seven sailors.

Swift also announced a fleet-wide global investigation will take place following the latest deadly crash, saying that the crashes "cannot be viewed in isolation.

Read more: US Navy fires commanders over deadly collision

He said the US Navy would conduct the probe "to find out if there is a common cause ... and if so, how do we solve that."

The oil tanker involved in Monday's collision sustained some damage but no crew were injured, the Singapore government said.

US Navy orders 'operational pause'

rs/rt (AP, AFP, dpa)