Sailors injured after US nuclear submarine collides with ‘unknown object’ in the South China sea

Eleven sailors have been injured in a collision between an “unknown object” and a US nuclear submarine in the South China Sea.

US officials told USNI News the underwater collision happened on Saturday, and it was not clear what caused the incident.

A defence official said 11 sailors were hurt, suffering minor to moderate injuries which were treated on board.

The extent of the damage to the USS Connecticut submarine is still being assessed, but the on board nuclear propulsion plant and spaces were not impacted by the collision.

As of Thursday, the submarine is on its way to US island territory, Guam, in the North Pacific ocean.

The last known incident of a US submarine collision was in 2005, where one sailor was killed.

The incident happened amid rising tensions about the South China Sea region.

The region has key trade route worth over £2 trillion, and different countries claim ownership of regions in the sea. Most notably, China claims ownership of around 90 per cent of the South China Sea.