Two U.S. Navy sailors missing off coast of Somalia


Two U.S. Navy sailors went missing Thursday off the coast of Somalia, U.S. Central Command said in a statement Friday.

The sailors, whose names were not released, were deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet’s area of operations, the command, known as CENTCOM, said.

“Search and rescue operations are currently ongoing to locate the two sailors,” it said in a statement. “For operational security purposes, we will not release additional information until the personnel recovery operation is complete.”

More details about the missing sailors were not released, which CENTCOM said was out of respect for their families.

The 5th Fleet’s area of operations covers around 2.5 million square miles of water and includes the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea and Indian Ocean, according to the military’s website.