A US Navy warship collided into a Navy supply vessel during a refuel operation, the US military’s Southern Command confirmed to the BBC.
Two people reported minor injuries during Wednesday’s replenishment-at-sea operation, Southern Command said, and are in stable condition.
The vessels – a guided missile destroyer and fast combat support ship – have both continued sailing safely from the site of the incident near South America.
Southern Command did not say what caused the collision and said the incident was currently under investigation.
The exact location of the crash between the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Truxtun and the Supply-class fast combat support ship USNS Supply was not immediately clear.
The USNS Supply ship has been operating in the Caribbean, according to the Wall Street Journal, which is part of Southern Command’s area of responsibility. Southern Command is also responsible for parts of the South Atlantic and the South Pacific.
US President Donald Trump has ordered a military buildup in the Caribbean the last few months as part of the administration’s stated aim to target drug trafficking.
Two people died on Thursday after the US military struck an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific, adding to a tally of least 38 lethal alleged drug boat strikes in the region since Trump has re-entered office.
The US has also used its military presence in the region to enforce sanctions against Venezuelan oil, after arresting the country’s president Nicolas Maduro in a middle-of-the-night raid in January. (BBC)
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