US naval forces have suspended their search for an American sailor who went missing during a joint drill in the South China Sea with Japan on Tuesday. Current top breaking Philippine headlines regarding the nation, world, metro manila, regions and exclusive special investigative reports.
TOKYO, Japan — US naval forces have suspended their search for an American sailor who went missing during a joint drill in the South China Sea with Japan on Tuesday. «After more than three days of continuous search efforts, the US Navy suspended operations to locate a Sailor assigned to guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem» on Friday, the US 7th Fleet said in a statement. The missing sailor was identified as Lieutenant Steven D. Hopkins, a Texas native, according to the US 7th Fleet. On Thursday, China said it helped the US search for the sailor, a rare cooperative gesture in the disputed waters. The US, Japan and China «spent 79 hours in a comprehensive search that covered roughly 10,000 square miles (25,900 square kilometers) , » the US 7th Fleet said.
