Saturday 14 January 2012

Three dead, 40 missing in Italian ship disaster

A honeymooning couple have been rescued from the submerged Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia more than 24 hours after it ran aground off the coast of Tuscany.


The South Korean newlyweds were found by rescuers in a cabin two decks above the water line of the Mediterranean. It is understood the pair, who are 29 years old, are in good condition.


Fire commander Vincenzo Bennardo said rescuers had been banging on doors of the ship cabins and finally heard a reply from one of the rooms early on Sunday. They had not stopped going door-to-door during the night in the non-submerged part of the ship, he said.


The Costa Concordia hit a reef during dinner on Friday and capsized off Tuscany, forcing the evacuation of about 4,200 people. Three bodies were found and about 40 more remained unaccounted for.


A massive coastguard evacuation and rescue operation was launched, but despite the panic among passengers the vast majority of people on board made it to safety.


Early on Sunday, firefighters found two people, both South Koreans, still alive in a cabin after making voice contact with them from several decks above, Italian media reported.


An official involved in the rescue operation said two French tourists and a Peruvian crew member were dead.


There were fears the death toll could rise in one of Italy's worst shipping disasters in years as specialist diving teams checked interior spaces of the vessel.


"We don't rule out the possibility that more people will be lost," said fire services spokesman Luca Cari. It was not clear how many of those unaccounted for could still be trapped in the ship or simply had not been counted among those rescued.


The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, was arrested on Saturday night for questioning by magistrates, police said.


They said Schettino, whose ship was carrying 4,229 passengers and crew, abandoned the vessel before all the passengers were taken off.


The vessel's operator, Costa Crociere, a unit of Carnival Corp & Plc, the world's largest cruise company, said the Costa Concordia had been sailing on its regular course when it struck a submerged rock.


In a television interview, Schettino said the rock was not marked on any maritime charts of the area.


Costa Cruises president Gianni Ororato said the captain "performed a manoeuvre intended to protect both guests and crew" but it was "complicated by a sudden tilting of the ship".


It remained unclear how the 290-metre long ship had run aground in calm waters so close to the shore.


"We'll be able to say at the end of the investigation. It would be premature to speculate on this," said coastguard spokesman Filippo Marini.


The ship was involved in an accident on November 22, 2008 when it hit a port wall and was damaged while docking.


In the latest incident the Costa Concordia was left capsized on its side in water 15-20 metres deep, with decks partly submerged, not far from the shore. A large gash was visible on its side.


Local officials expressed concern that the fuel on the ship, at full load as it had just begun the cruise, could spill into the pristine waters.


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