CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The body of a Marine missing since Monday was found Friday at a hotel beach located across the bay from Camp Schwab, according to the Japan coast guard.

A hotel employee found the body around 10:40 a.m. about 2.5 miles north of the Marine base, where the missing man was last seen, said Hiroshi Iwanaga, a spokesman for the coast guard.

“He was identified as the Marine listing as missing by military officials,” Iwanaga said. The Marine’s name has not been released.

According to the coast guard, two Marines strolling the beach at Camp Schwab spotted a man struggling in water at about 9 p.m. Monday. One of the Marines entered the water in an attempt to rescue the man but lost sight of him, said Iwanaga, chief of the search-and-rescue division of the coast guard’s Nakagusuku branch.

The Marine’s body was taken to U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa on Camp Lester to determine the cause of death. Although there is little possibility of foul play, the military will continue its investigation, he said.

Marine Corps officials confirmed earlier that a Marine was listed as missing, but as of Friday afternoon, no further information was available.

From staff reports

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