The U.S. military says it is cooperating with Egyptian authorities investigating an incident in which a U.S. Navy-chartered cargo ship opened fire on a small boat near the Suez Canal Monday.
The Pentagon said Tuesday the U.S. report of the incident contains no indication of any casualties, but Egyptian officials say one person on the boat was killed and at least two others were wounded.
A State Department spokesman says U.S. officials are working with the Egyptian government at senior levels to understand what took place and to prevent it from happening again.
Officials say the Egyptian boat was carrying goods to sell to ships passing through the Suez Canal when it approached the U.S. vessel, Global Patriot.
U.S. officials say the Global Patriot issued a warning in Arabic through a bullhorn, then fired a warning flare and two sets of warning shots after the Egyptian boat ignored calls to stay away. The Pentagon said all shots were accounted for, as they entered the water.
The Global Patriot had been awaiting permission to pass through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. Officials confirmed that it proceeded Tuesday to cross the canal.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
