7 sailors aboard the US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson were injured after a "landing mishap" involving a F-35C Lightning II aircraft that was performing routine flight operations in the South China Sea, the US Army said in a statement.
"An F-35C Lightning II, assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, had a landing mishap on deck while USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) was conducting routine flight operations in the South China Sea, Jan. 24, 2022. The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft and was recovered via US military helicopter," the US Pacific Fleet said in the statement.
Three sailors were evacuated to a nearby treatment facility in the Philippines while the other four were treated by medical personnel aboard the vessel, the statement said. The sailors evacuated to the Philippines are in stable condition and three of the sailors who received on-board treatment were released.
The pilot of the jet fighter was also reported as being in a stable condition.
An investigation has been declared into the cause of the accident although the statement does not specify what exactly the nature of the accident was.
The Vinson and another US carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, and their strike groups began drills on Sunday in the South China Sea, following exercises with a Japanese naval ship in the Philippine Sea last week.
The South China Sea is among China's most sensitive territorial issues and is a frequent area of tension between the United States and China.
In November 2021, the US sailed the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Milius through the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
"The ship's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows," the statement from the US Navy said.