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An Italian firefighter being lowered onto the Costa Concordia during the search. Pier Paolo Cito/AP/Press Association Images
Costa Concordia
Search for Costa Concordia missing called off
Concerns for the safety of rescue workers have prompted Italian authorities to call off the search for the 16 people unaccounted for after the cruise ship capsized.
ITALIAN OFFICIALS have called off the search for over a dozen people who remain unaccounted for since a luxury cruise ship capsized off the coast of Tuscany on 13 January.
Over 4,200 people were on board the ship when it struck rocks off the coast of Giglio Island, tearing a huge hole in the hull.
Seventeen bodies have been recovered from the ship, one of which has not yet been identified. Sixteen people remain unaccounted for.
The search had been called off several times already due to the ship’s movements and concerns were growing that the ship would slip into deeper water, making the search effort more dangerous for the Italian navy divers.
Today, the Italian civil protection agency said in a statement that the search was being called off over safety concerns for rescue workers after studies of the hull showed that conditions had deteriorated.
It also said that the families and officials representing the missing had been informed of the decision.
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