A sixth body has been found in the wreckage of the Costa
Concordia cruise ship that capsized off the coast of Tuscany as rescue workers
continue searching for survivors in the part of the ship that is above water.
The sixth body to be found on the cruise ship Costa off
Giglio is still unidentified, though it has been confirmed by Italian news
outlet Ansa that the man was a passenger on the ship. The man was found on the
second deck in a part of the ship which was not flooded by water. He had his
life vest on.
Sixteen people are still unaccounted for after the Costa
Concordia, which was carrying 4,234 passengers and crew, hit rocks Friday
evening near Giglio, a small island off the coast of Tuscany . Investigators say the ship was an
"incredibly close" 150 meters (roughly 500 feet) from the shore.
The bodies of two passengers found wearing life jackets
aboard the ship were identified Sunday, officials said. Both passengers were
elderly men -- one Italian, the other Spanish. The bodies were found earlier
Sunday near a gathering point in the submerged part of the luxury liner.
Experts are still analyzing the ship's black box, which has
already revealed a one-hour lag between the time of the impact on the rocks at
9:45 p.m. local time Friday and the ship's alarm call to the coast guard at
about 10:43 p.m. Investigators suspect Schettino tried to maneuver the ship
before alerting coast guard, the Italian news outlet Ansa reported.
Schettino is in custody, facing possible charges of
manslaughter and abandoning his ship. Schettino reportedly left the stricken
vessel at approximately 12:30 a.m., while many passengers didn't get safely off
the ship until 6 a.m., Ansa reported.
Ten passengers and six crew members are still unaccounted
for. The number was reduced from an earlier estimate of 40 unaccounted for.
The U.S.
embassy in Rome
estimates 120 Americans were on board the ship, of which 118 have been
accounted for.
"Our immediate priority is to account for all
passengers and crew, and to secure the vessel to ensure that there are no
environmental impacts," Costa Cruises said in a statement. "We have
engaged the services of a top specialized salvage company to develop an action
plan and help establish a protection perimeter around the ship."
The incident began with a loud bang followed by a blackout
just as passengers were having dinner. Minutes later, an announcement from the
crew said it was merely an electrical problem. But with the ship tilting, many
passengers ignored their orders and scrambled to the deck.
Vacationers reported the crew did not want to lower the
lifeboats. Many reported forcing their way on against orders. Some were
lowered, but not everyone got on.
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