The search for missing passengers on the Costa Concordia cruise ship has been suspended after the ship slipped 9cm from its resting place.
Fears are growing that the vessel will soon sink 100 metres to the bottom of the ocean and stormy weather has hampered rescue efforts, reports the Daily Mail.
A five year old Italian girl and her father are among the 16 still unaccounted for. Ten of the 16 missing are passengers and six are crew members.
Giglio’s Mayor Sergio Ortelli said: “The hopes of finding any more survivors are fading. There are also worries oil could start to spill from the ship – sparking an environmental disaster.”
The number unaccounted for has increased because two Sicilian women, originally listed among the evacuated, have not contacted relatives.
The threat of an environmental disaster is also a concern with around 2,500 tons of fuel on board the ship.
Environment minister Corrado Clini said: “The environmental risk for the island of Giglio is extremely high. The goal is to avoid that the fuel leaks from the ship. We are working on this. The intervention is urgent.”
The Costa Concordia, with more than 4,000 people on board, ran aground in calm conditions on Friday night near the island of Giglio, leading to the death of at least six people.
The captain, who is believed to have worked for the cruise line for 11 years, has been arrested on suspicion of multiple homicide. According to prosecutors, he left the ship before the evacuation. The first officer has also been detained.
