Photo Gallery The Search Continues
Rescue workers on Tuesday blasted holes in the Costa Concordia in an attempt to reach parts of the ship that had not yet been accessed. But hopes are fading for the missing.
The latest numbers indicate that 29 people remain missing, including four crew members. On Monday, the Italian coast guard released photos of the underwater rescue work. This photo was taken on Jan. 13.
The cruise ship, one of the biggest ever to founder, ran aground on Friday with more than 4,000 people on board. So far, six people are confirmed dead.
This image, released on Monday, shows a diver inside the ship on Jan. 13.
Photos from inside the foundered ship show the chaos facing rescue workers. Tables, chairs and bottles are strewn about as a result of the ship's heavy list.
Among the 29 missing are 14 Germans. The number of missing was almost doubled on Monday evening.
This image shows the site of the accident, with the numbers indicating water depth. Human error is thought to have caused the accident.
Rescue workers are hoping to finish searching the ship before the weather worsens. Many worker were evacuated from the ship briefly on Monday after heavy seas caused the ship to shift.
Many of the photos from Jan. 13, which were released on Monday, clearly show the damage the ship sustained when it ran aground.
It is thought that the accident occurred when the captain cruised too close to the shore in an effort to "greet" a village on the island of Giglio. Such greetings, say residents, have become common practice.
Here, the ship's hull, torn open by rocks when it ran aground on Friday, can clearly be seen. Many have accused the captain of having left the ship before the evacuation was finished. He denies the accusation.
An image of deck chairs on the ship's deck. They are held in place by ropes, despite the steep pitch of the deck.
So far, officials have confirmed six deaths. With a list of 29 missing, more are likely to come.
Experts believe that the ship may still be salvagable. Still, a media report on Tuesday indicated that the accident may end up costing the insurance company half a billion euros.
An additional underwater photo released on Monday. The Costa Concordia is 290 meters (1,000 feet) long and is one of the largest cruise ships ever to founder.
On Tuesday, rescue workers began using controlled explosives in order to access parts of the ship that had been difficult to reach.
An underwater photo showing deck chairs piled against the ship's railing.
There are concerns that, should the ship slip into deeper water, an oil spill could result. The area is a popular one for scuba divers.
According to media reports, one of the crew members, who is from the island of Giglio, had called his family on Friday to tell them that the Costa Concordia was going to cruise extremely close to shore. Just 30 minutes later, the ship ran aground.
Rescue workers have so far been focused on searching for the missing. But salvaging companies are already on site preparing to pump the fuel out of the ship's tanks.
The number of missing passengers and crew has varied substantially in recent days. On Monday, officials said that 16 were missing, only to increase that to 29 in the evening.
Several Costa Concordia crew members from the Philippines arriving at the airport in Rome on their way back home.
Despite the intense search, no survivors have been found since Sunday.
