The US military said it had launched a search and rescue operation after reports a marine may have fallen overboard from an American warship as it sailed through Philippine waters.
The US 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit said a member, who was not named, may have gone overboard on Thursday morning.
Aircraft on board the USS Essex are searching waters off the Sulu Sea and the Surigao Strait while multiple searches are also being made inside the ship itself, the unit said.
The ship was conducting “routine operations in the Sulu Sea” at the time, the California based unit said in the statement.
“We remain committed to searching for and finding our marine,” the statement quoted its commander, Col. Chandler Nelms as saying.
US Navy hunts for overboard marine off Philippines
US Navy hunts for overboard marine off Philippines
