Cruise shipwreck

Five bodies were found on Tuesday in the wreckage of the cruise liner Costa Concordia, which capsized off the coast of Italy on Friday. Six bodies had been found earlier.

Chilly weather threatens to hamper rescue efforts which are still continuing just off the western coast of Italy. Earlier on Tuesday, divers had blasted holes in the ship using explosives to assist the rescue teams.

Before the latest bodies were found, the Italian Civil Protection Authority had said that the 29 passengers were still missing, among them German, Italian, French, Americans, Indian, Peruvian and Hungarian nationals.

Meanwhile, a consumer protection group, Codacons, announced on Tuesday that more than 70 passengers of the cruise ship have joined a class action suit against the ship's owner.

"Over 70 passengers who were on board the ship have joined the class action initiated by our association," the head of Codacons, Carlo Rienzi, said in a statement. "Our objective is to get each passenger at least 10,000 euros compensation for material damage and also for ... the fear suffered, the holidays ruined and the serious risks endured."

It could take "some months" for a magistrate to rule the lawsuit admissible, according to the co-head of the consumer rights association, Marco Ramadori.

Costa Croiseres France, French subsidiary of the ship's owner Costa Crociere, said that it would compensate French passengers for the accident.

"We are planning compensation," Georges Azouze, president of Costa Croiseres France, told RTL radio. He said the company would do more than just refund the tickets, but did not give specific details.

Of the 4,229 passengers on the ship, 462 were French.

Rescue efforts continue

The Costa Concordia luxury liner hit a rock near the small Tuscan island of Giglio on Friday. Costa Crociere has accused the 51-year-old captain, Francesco Schettino, of an "inexplicable" error in deviating from the ship's scheduled route and running the ship aground.

Schettino was initially imprisoned, but was placed under house arrest on Tuesday evening. While he has not yet been formally charged, he is accused of causing a shipwreck, manslaughter on multiple accounts and abandoning ship, leaving passengers stranded.

Italian media on Tuesday have released the audio recording of a phone call which took place between the ship's captain and the Italian coast guard shortly after the shipwreck. On it, the official can be heard repeatedly demanding the captain return to the ship to assist in the evacuation. The conversation ends with Schettino finally agreeing to return to the ship after refusing a number of times. Whether or not he did return is under investigation.

Author: Andrew Bowen, Sarah Berning (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)
Editor: Michael Lawton