A senior crew member on the luxury Italian cruise liner that capsized in the Mediterranean was dramatically airlifted to safety today as it emerged divers have discovered two more bodies.
Cabin service director Manrico Giampedroni, 57, was discovered in one of the Costa Concordia's restaurants which was semi-submerged with water. Italian news reports say he stayed behind to help passengers into the lifeboats but as the vessel listed he fell and broke his leg.
He said of the two day long ordeal: 'I never lost hope of being saved. It was a 36-hour nightmare'.
This afternoon the Italian coastguard said the bodies of two elderly men were found in a submerged restaurant, taking the death toll to five. Two French passengers and a Peruvian crew member were confirmed dead yesterday.
Late last night two 29-year-old newlyweds were plucked alive from the wreckage. The couple from South Korea had been on their honeymoon when they became stranded two decks below rescuers who eventually heard their screams.
More than 4,000 people were evacuated when the ship ran aground off the coast of Tuscany on Friday night. Eleven passengers and six crew are still missing.
Gashed open: The hull of the massive Costa Concordia was gashed open as it ran aground, killing at least eight and injuring dozens more
Underwater: Divers took these pictures of the submerged parts of the stricken cruise ship as they searched amid the wreckage for missing passengers and crew today
Italian Coast Guard personnel recover the black box from the Costa Condordia cruise ship that ran aground off the west coast of Italy
Rescue: The Costa Concordia is pictured this morning as rescuers in a boat co-ordinate the rescue effort during the desperate hunt for more survivors
Efforts to reach survivors have hampered by blocked doors and staircases according to reports. Three people have been rescued including a crew member with a suspected broken leg
A photo taken by Spanish passenger Carlos Carballa on board cruise ship as panicking passengers wait to be evacuated on Friday night
Members of the emergency services crawl along the side of the half submerged cruise liner Costa Concordia as the search for survivors continue
0 Comments