Giglio Island, Italy:
The captain of a luxury cruise liner that keeled over off Tuscany, killing three people and leaving 41 unaccounted for, was arrested as survivors told of scenes "like the Titanic".
Terrified passengers tried to get into lifeboats and at least one person reportedly jumped into the sea.
The Costa Concordia with more than 4,000 people on board apparently hit a reef, tearing a 70- to 100-metre (230- to 330-foot) gash in its hull, just hours after setting off from the Italian port of Civitavecchia near Rome on Friday.
The ship quickly listed, leaving it half submerged in shallow waters near the island of Giglio.
Less than 24 hours after the accident, the captain, Francesco Schettino, was arrested, prosecutors said, and Italian media reported that he faced possible charges of multiple homicide and abandoning ship before all passengers were rescued.
Coastguards meanwhile said divers had recovered the ship's "black box" which should contain records of the precise route and conversations among the crew.
But 41 people who had been on board were still missing late yesterday, said the local governor Giuseppe Linardi and port officials.
Passengers earlier described panic and confusion on board after they felt the ship run into something as they sat down for dinner on Friday.
"There were scenes of panic like on the Titanic. We ran aground on rocks," passenger Mara Parmegiani was quoted by Italian media as saying. "We were very scared and freezing."
Another survivor, cruise ship worker Fabio Costa, said people panicked and began pushing in order to get into lifeboats.
"Everything just started to fall and everybody started to panic and run," he was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"We had no idea how serious it was until we got out and we looked through the window and we saw the water coming closer and closer. Everything happened really, really fast," he said.
"Everybody tried to get on the boats but people started to panic so they were pushing each other and the crew was trying to help. A lot of people were falling down the stairs," he added.
Terrified passengers tried to get into lifeboats and at least one person reportedly jumped into the sea.
The Costa Concordia with more than 4,000 people on board apparently hit a reef, tearing a 70- to 100-metre (230- to 330-foot) gash in its hull, just hours after setting off from the Italian port of Civitavecchia near Rome on Friday.
The ship quickly listed, leaving it half submerged in shallow waters near the island of Giglio.
Less than 24 hours after the accident, the captain, Francesco Schettino, was arrested, prosecutors said, and Italian media reported that he faced possible charges of multiple homicide and abandoning ship before all passengers were rescued.
Coastguards meanwhile said divers had recovered the ship's "black box" which should contain records of the precise route and conversations among the crew.
But 41 people who had been on board were still missing late yesterday, said the local governor Giuseppe Linardi and port officials.
Passengers earlier described panic and confusion on board after they felt the ship run into something as they sat down for dinner on Friday.
"There were scenes of panic like on the Titanic. We ran aground on rocks," passenger Mara Parmegiani was quoted by Italian media as saying. "We were very scared and freezing."
Another survivor, cruise ship worker Fabio Costa, said people panicked and began pushing in order to get into lifeboats.
"Everything just started to fall and everybody started to panic and run," he was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"We had no idea how serious it was until we got out and we looked through the window and we saw the water coming closer and closer. Everything happened really, really fast," he said.
"Everybody tried to get on the boats but people started to panic so they were pushing each other and the crew was trying to help. A lot of people were falling down the stairs," he added.
