TOKYO Courtland Sutton Shirt , June 18 (Xinhua) -- A number of bodies of U.S. sailors missing after a collision between the U.S. Navy's guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald and a Philippine container vessel have been found aboard the stricken destroyer, the U.S. Navy said Sunday.


The Navy said in a statement that rescuers had gained access to spaces on the ship that were damaged during the collision and retrieved the bodies.


"As search and rescue crews gained access to the spaces that were damaged during the collision this morning, the missing sailors were located," the U.S. 7th Fleet said, although itself Matt Paradis Shirt , in contrast to Japanese media, did not specify the number of bodies recovered.


Earlier, Japan's public broadcaster NHK said all 7 bodies of the missing sailors were found aboard the destroyer in areas that had become flooded after the collision, such as a living space and a machine room.


The U.S. military will now proceed to confirm the identity of the bodies and inform the families of the deceased, it said. The bodies are being transferred to Naval Hospital Yokosuka.


Three others were injured in the collision Derek Wolfe Shirt , local media said, including Cmdr. Bryce Benson, the Fitzgerald's commanding officer, who is in a stable condition in hospital. Two other crew members were airlifted to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the Navy said.


According to the Japan Coast Guard Chris Harris Jr Shirt , the collision occurred about 100 kilometers southwest of Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, and was first reported by the Philippine container vessel at around 2:25 a.m. local time on Saturday.


Along with the U.S. Navy, the Japan Coast Guard is investigating the collision and has questioned crew members of the 29,060 ton Philippine ACX Crystal container vessel on suspicion of possible endangerment of traffic caused by professional negligence Emmanuel Sanders Shirt , according to local media reports.


The vessel, which was carrying 1,080 containers, was recorded as traveling east for 30 minutes before making a U-turn and doubling back into the waters where the collision with the 8,315 ton Aegis-equipped Fitzgerald took place.


Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Demaryius Thomas Shirt , operator of the Philippine vessel, said in a statement that it is collaborating with the ship owner and fully cooperating with the investigation by the relevant authorities.


The shipping firm, headquartered in Tokyo and one of the largest shipping companies in the world, said that all crew members aboard the ACX Crystal have been confirmed to be safe and that it has set up its own independent task force to further probe the details of the collision and how to proceed.


The Japan Meteorological Agency (JAM) said that at the time of the collision the weather and therefore visibility should have been clear and the waves were at a height of around 2 meters.


The weather agency had not issued any advisories or warnings for the area at the time.