A U.S. Navy transporter carrying 11 people crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan on Wednesday. Search and rescue is underway for survivors, the Japan-based Seventh Fleet said in a statement. As of Wednesday morning, eight people had been found and were in "good condition," The Washington Post reports. The crash happened while the plane was traveling to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, and the cause remains unclear.
This is the latest in a series of recent accidents for the Seventh Fleet, which is conducting exercises in response to rising tensions with North Korea. In June, seven sailors died when the USS Fitzgerald hit a container ship off the coast of Japan. And in August, 10 people were killed when the USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker near Singapore. Both incidents were considered avoidable and blamed on crew negligence, prompting new training exercises and examinations of how crew deal with stress and exhaustion. The Seventh Fleet commander, Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, was removed from duty in August. Jessica Hullinger
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