A US Marine assigned to a warship operating in the Caribbean fell overboard and has been declared dead, while two personnel were injured in a collision between two other ships, the military said Thursday.

The Marine – 21-year-old Lance Corporal Chukwuemeka Oforah – reportedly fell off the USS Iwo Jima on February 7 and was declared deceased following "an extensive, around-the-clock 72-hour search-and-rescue operation," the Marine Corps said in a statement.

In a separate incident, the USS Truxton and USNS Supply collided "during a replenishment at sea" on Wednesday, Southern Command, which is responsible for US forces in Central and South America, said in a statement without specifying where the collision happened.

"Two personnel reported minor injuries and are in stable condition. Both ships have reported sailing safely. The incident is currently under investigation," SOUTHCOM added.

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President Donald Trump has deployed a huge naval force in the Caribbean but US casualties during its operations in the region have been rare.

The US has killed at least 130 people in strikes on boats in the region – alleging without evidence that they were smuggling drugs – while seizing oil tankers as part of an illegal blockade and carrying out a violent coup against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.