Costa Concordia Luxury Cruise Ship Runs Aground Off Coast Of Tuscany, At Least 3 Bodies Retrieved From Sea

ROME — The Italian coast guard says a luxury cruise ship has run aground off the coast of Tuscany and that at least three bodies have been retrieved from the sea.
Cmdr. Francesco Paolillo told The Associated Press by telephone from the port city of Livorno early Saturday that there are "probably" at least three more dead, although he hasn't received confirmation of those three. He said helicopters are evacuating some 50 people still aboard the Costa Concordia liner near the Tuscan island of Giglio.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
ROME (AP) – The Italian coast guard says a luxury cruise ship has run aground off the coast of Tuscany and that at least three bodies have been retrieved from the sea.
Cmdr. Francesco Paolillo told The Associated Press by telephone from the port city of Livorno early Saturday that there are "probably" at least three more dead, although he hasn't received confirmation of those three. He said helicopters are evacuating some 50 people still aboard the Costa Concordia liner near the Tuscan island of Giglio.

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Report: 6 killed after cruise ship runs aground off Italian coast

By the CNN Wire Staff

January 14, 2012 -- Updated 0347 GMT (1147 HKT)

The Costa Concordia, shown in a 2009 photo, was on a Mediterranean cruise from Rome when the grounding occurred.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: The incident occurred during dinnertime, a witness says
• 15 are injured when the ship runs aground
• Evacuation efforts were complicated by the position of the listing ship
• Some people fell into the frigid water during rescue

(CNN) -- At least six people were killed and 15 injured Friday night after a cruise ship ran aground near the Italian island of Giglio, Italy's ANSA news agency reported early Saturday.
The Costa Concordia, owned by Genoa-based Costa Cruises, ran aground on a sand bank just off the island, located off of Italy's western coast, ANSA reported. The incident occurred during dinnertime, witness Luciano Castro told ANSA.
The ship was carrying around 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members at the time, according to the cruise line's blog.
Evacuation efforts were apparently complicated by the position of the listing ship, according to Costa's blog post. Some passengers fell into the frigid waters during rescue, the news agency reported.
As many as 300 people were still on the ship early Saturday waiting to be evacuated, ANSA reported, citing rescuers' estimates.
"The company is working with the utmost care to give maximum support," Costa said in the blog statement.
The Concordia, built in 2006, was on a Mediterranean cruise from Rome with stops in Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Cagliari and Palermo, according to the cruise line. It was unclear how far into the cruise the grounding occurred.
Most of the passengers on board were Italian, as well as some French and German citizens.
Another Costa ship was involved in a deadly 2010 accident when the Costa Europa crashed into a pier in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh during stormy weather, killing three crew members.

#CostaConcordia

Supervivientes del crucero relatan el naufragio

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Un grupo de españoles supervivientes del accidente del crucero 'Costa Concordia', ha llegado este domingo desde el aeropuerto de Roma a Madrid-Barajas recordando lo que para ellos ha sido una de las experiencias más duras de su vida.

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 COSTA CONCORDIA

Evidence mounts against cruise ship captain

 Maritime authorities, passengers and mounting evidence pointed toward the captain of a cruise liner that ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan coast, amid accusations that he abandoned ship before everyone was safely evacuated and was showing off when he steered the vessel far too close to shore.

The Costa Crociera company, which owns the Costa Concordia cruise ship, released a statement refuting the earlier claims by Captain Francisco Schettino, saying that the captain had "made an error of judgment which has had serious consequences."

Al Jazeera's Paul Brennan reports from Isola Del Giglio, Italy.
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