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Search for bodies on Costa Concordia abandoned
Italian divers have completely abandoned their search for bodies inside the Costa Concordia after conditions underwater deteriorated, the BBC said today.
"We have definitively stopped the underwater search inside the ship," a spokesman for the fire brigade on the island said.
Seventeen bodies have been recovered since the ship capsized on January 13 but 15 people are still missing. Divers are unable to continue searching the parts of the ship that are under water as the corridors are cluttered with furniture and the sea is too choppy.
Also, dives have been limited to 50 minutes, which has prevented them from penetrating far into the inside of the ship.
Italy’s civil protection agency, which has been overseeing rescue efforts, said it had contacted the families of the missing, and the foreign embassies involved, to explain its decision.
It said emergency crews would continue to inspect parts of the ship that remain above water and use specialist equipment to check whether there could be any corpses on the sea bed, it said.
Unijured passengers were last week offered $11,000 (about £9,200) each compensation by Costa Cruises to cover loss of belongings, inconvenience and distress, on condition they drop any legal action.
However, a class-action is being filed in the US demanding at least £105,000 for each passenger, said the BBC.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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