'No. of missing' USS Fitzgerald sailors found dead

The bodies of the sailors who have been missing after USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan, have been found, according to Navy's 7th fleet.

"As search and rescue crews gained access to the spaces that were damaged during the collision Sunday morning, the missing sailors were found in the flooded berthing compartments," VOA news quoted the release as saying.

They are being taken to Naval Hospital Yokosuka where they will be identified. However, the exact number of bodies found has not been disclosed

The names of the sailors will be released after all notifications are made.

The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine container ship off the coast of Japan in the early hours of Saturday morning. The Fitzgerald was operating about 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan, when it hit the container ship at approximately 2:30 a.m. local time.

Initially, five sailors were reported injured and seven sailors were reported missing.

Four sailors and the ship's commanding officer were medically evacuated by a Japanese coast guard helicopter, post the mishap. The 7th Fleet has since confirmed the sailors are in stable condition and are being treated at the Naval Hospital Yokosuka.