Seven US sailors are missing and the commanding officer of a US destroyer is among the injured after the warship collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Japan, the US Navy said Friday.

The USS Fitzgerald, a 505-foot destroyer, collided with a Philippine container vessel at approximately 2:30 a.m. Saturday local time.

Rescue crews are searching for the missing crew members while some are being treated for injuries.

Japanese coast guard officials dispatched patrol vessels and an aeroplane while the maritime self-defence force provided a helicopter to search the area south-west of the military port city of Yokosuka.

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