A US nuclear submarine collides with an object in the Indo-Pacific

 A US nuclear submarine struck an object underwater in the South China Sea on Saturday, two defense officials said.

A number of sailors aboard the USS Connecticut were injured in the crash, officials said. None of the injuries were life threatening, according to a statement from the U.S. Pacific Fleet. It is not known what the Seawolf-class submarine may have struck while submerged.

"The submarine remains in a safe and stable condition. The nuclear power plant and spaces of the USS Connecticut have not been affected and remain fully operational," the statement said. "The incident will be investigated." The US Navy did not say the incident took place in the South China Sea, only that it occurred in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region.

justify;">Connecticut was operating in the waters around the South China Sea as the United States and its allies conducted a large multinational show of force in the region, known as the Carrier Strike Group 21. The current exercise saw ships from the US, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands, including three aircraft carriers, training in and around the area.

On Saturday, 39 Chinese military planes, including fighter jets and transport planes, entered Taiwan's ADIZ, forcing the Taiwan Air Force to jam the planes and deploy air defense missiles to monitor the plane. Two days later, China sent 56 planes to Taiwan's ADIZ within 24 hours, the highest number since the autonomous island began publishing those figures last year.