janis mackey frayer reports tonight from the yokosuka navy base in japan. >> reporter: the frantic searchor seven missing sailors is now over after divers found their bodies in the flooded sleeping cabins of the destroyer. >> as to how much warning they had, i don't know. that's going to be found out during the investigation. >> reporter: where the cargo ship struck the "uss fitzgerald" in the middle of the night, a huge gash. as water flooded in, the crew scrambled to keep the ship from sinking. it took 16 hours to tow the "uss fitzgerald" back to port here. it was only then that divers were able to access the damaged section to make their discovery. the search now for answers. how could an advanced u.s. warship collide with a cargo ship more than three times its size? the weather was clear. the "acx crystal" on a normal run to tokyo. also in question, the time the collision happened. u.s. officials have said the fitzgerald was struck at 2:20 a.m., but late today an official with japan's coast guard told nbc news it was closer to 1:30 a.m. marine traffic record show the crystal made a u-

janis mackey frayer, nbc news, beijing. >>> back in this country, from extreme drought to a record snow melt in the mountains, california is now dealing with powerful swollen rivers. first responders say there could be a threat for weeks to come and they are warning people to stay out of the water. steve patterson has the story. >> reporter: from a distance, california's kern river looks inviting, even peaceful. but get a little closer -- >> are you hurt? stay where you're at. >> reporter: -- and you'll find a life and death battle being waged weekly. >> two feet. lower slow. >> reporter: the fire department swift water rescue team is training double time. >> take my hand. jump right here. >> it's a nerve-racking feeling because you never know what can go wrong. >> reporter: in just the last month, the department has received an unprecedented number of calls for help and they are not alone. statewide, 19 people have died in overflowing rivers this year, including this girl's teenage brother ray. >> he was swept away. he screamed for help and by 100 yards off, he was not seen anymore. >>

as nbc janis mackey frayer shows us from japan, the crew struggled to keep the ship from sinking. >> reporter: the frantic search for seven missing sailors is now over after divers found their bodies in the flooded sleeping cabins of the destroyer. >> as to how much warning they had, i don't know. that's going to be found out during the investigation. >> reporter: where the cargo ship struck the uss fitzgerald in the middle of the night, a huge gash. as water flooded in the crew scrambled to keep the ship from sinking. it took 16 hours to tow the uss fitzgerald back to port here. it was only then that divers were able to access the damaged section to make share discovery. the search now for answers. how could an ship collide with a cargo ship more than three times its size? the weather was clear. the acx crystal on a normal run to tokyo. also in question, the time the collision happened. u.s. officials have said the fitzgerald was struck at 2:20 a.m., but late today an official with japan's coast guard told nbc news it was closer to 1:30 a.m. marine traffic record shows the crystal m

janis mackey frayer joining us. any indication of a possible motive? >> reporter: police are saying it was a robbery, that the suspect walked into the casino, stole gambling chips, shot at a television, took a bottle of fuel from his backpack, poured it on the tables and lit them on fire. this of course caused panic in the casino and the adjoining hotel. people thought it was under attack by militants, so it triggered a stampede. that's how people were injured. there were people jumping from second floor balconies. police are emphasizing this is not a terrorist-related attack. they're saying the gunman did not shoot at anybody and he did not appear to want to kill anybody. but it was hours after authorities had declared the incident that they made this terrible discovery of dozens of bodies, guests and hotel workers in the chaos were trying to find a place to lock down, to take cover because they believed the hotel and casino were being stormed by militants. there's still some confusion, a few contradictions in this as well. manila police being very fi

nbc's janis mackey frayer is live in japan with more.ood morning. >> reporter: good morning, hallie. the uss fitzgerald took a huge hit and heavy damage to an area with berthing spaces where other 100 sailors were asleep at the time of the collision. there was a lot of water and not a lot of time. it was described as a traumatic situation, as the entire crew had to fight to save the ship from sinking. it took 16 hours to tow it to port, where divers were able to access those damaged areas and where they found the remains of the sailors who had been reported missing. the seventh fleet allowed us to visit the port today to take a look at the ship from a distance. from what we saw, the starboard side was crushed. there was a huge gash near the keel of the ship, and apparently the damage below the water line is even worse. what caused the collision is the focus of at least three investigations. the acx crystal, the container ship involved, was making a routine voyage to tokyo, but then it made a sudden u-turn about 25 minutes before the coll

nbc's janis mackey frayer on the very latest on the collision from japan. thank you.reaking news also we're following right now, a mistrial declared in the bill cosby sexual assault trial. more on that in a bit. plus president trump and the first family making their very first trip to camp david. the swirl of controversy that he no doubt hopes to leave behind at the white house. what do you have there? p3 it's meat, cheese and nuts. i keep my protein interesting. oh yea, me too. i have cheese and uh these herbs. p3 snacks. the more interesting way to get your protein. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, it

janis mackey frayer has the latest for us. janis, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the "uss fitzgerald" took a huge hit. seven sailors dead, three injured, including the captain. and a lot of questions about how and why the collision happened. the "uss fitzgerald" is badly damaged and listing. its crew, in a tight navy community here mourning the seven sailors who didn't make it. >> they're loved ones are what make our navy great. the strength of my fleet are my people. this loss is something we all feel. >> reporter: today, we know their names. their faces. among them, 19-year-old dakota kyle rigsby from palmyra, virginia. and carlosvictor sabayan from chula vista, california. who was 23. his father, a retired navy man. his mother didn't worry about his son. >> he knows that whatever situation, i know he can get out of it. but this time, he wasn't given the chance. >> reporter: how an advanced warship with sophisticated equipment and a watch crew, could collide with a cargo ship more than three times its size is the focus of several investigations. there are confli