TOKYO — The U.S. Navy says the bodies of the seven American sailors killed in a collision between their destroyer and a container ship off the Japanese coast have headed home.

The USS Fitzgerald collided with the Philippine-flagged container ship in the early hours of Saturday, sustaining severe damage to its side and flooding some compartments with sailors trapped inside.

The bodies of the seven crew members who died, their ages ranging from 19 to 37, were found by Navy divers after the warship returned to Yokosuka, Japan, home to the Navy's 7th fleet.

The bodies left Tokyo on a flight on Tuesday.

This combination of undated photos released Monday, June 19, 2017, by the U.S. Navy shows the seven U.S. sailors who died in a collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship off Japan on Saturday, June 17, 2017. From top left to right, Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, from Halethorpe, Md.; Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San Diego, Calif.; Gunner's Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, Va.; and Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, from Chula Vista, Calif. From bottom left to right, Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, from Oakville, Conn.; Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, Texas; and Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., 37, from Elyria, Ohio.

Photo Credit: Navy via AP

The Navy said the three sailors who were injured in the collision have been released from a Navy hospital.

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