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Emergency teams in Italy are racing to rescue those missing after a cruise ship ran aground off the country's west coast with about 4,000 people on board.
Coast guard vessels are combing the waters around the Costa Concordia, which is lying on its side. Divers are searching its submerged decks.
There were scenes of panic as it began listing on Friday. Most people reached land by lifeboats but some swam ashore.
Three people are confirmed dead. About 70 are said to be unaccounted for.
However Italian officials caution that the passenger list may not be fully up to date.
Costa Concordia with hole in its hull (14 January 2011) The Costa Concordia was carrying more than 3,200 passengers when it ran aground off the Italian coast
A 30m gash can be seen in the hull of the luxury liner as it lies on its side, about 200m from the small island of Giglio.
Italian, German, French and British nationals were among the 3,200 passengers on board. There were also 1,000 crew.
Some passengers were rescued by lifeboat, helicopters plucked to safety some who were trapped on the ship, and others jumped from the ship into the cold sea.
Some of the survivors are suffering from shock. About 40 people are being treated in hospital.
Passengers spoke of panic and described some people leaping into the sea from the listing ship, which finally came to rest on its side, with decks partly submerged, a few hundred metres from the shore.
Related: Carnival Splendor fire: How do you compensate disgruntled passengers?
Photographs showed a large gash along its side but officials declined to speculate on what had caused the accident in calm seas close to the shore.
They said rescue efforts were continuing after a night-time operation involving helicopters, ships and lifeboats.
"We have about 40 men at work and we're expecting specialist diving teams to arrive to check all the interior spaces of the ship," said fire services spokesman Luca Cari.
"We don't rule out the possibility that more people will be lost," he said.
But there was confusion around passenger lists.
"It's a very complex operation because some of the passengers may have jumped into the sea and not been picked up by rescuers, while others may have been sheltered in private houses and therefore not been identified yet," said Giuseppe Linardi, police chief in the nearby town of Grosseto.
PANIC
"We were sitting down to dinner and we heard this big bang. I think it hit some rocks. There was a lot of panic, the tables overturned, glasses were flying all over the place and we ran for the decks where we put on our lifevests," passenger Maria Parmegiano Alfonsi told Sky Italia television.
Police and passengers quoted on television spoke of people jumping off the 290-metre-long ship, a floating resort hotel with spas, theatres, swimming pools and a discotheque.
"We had a blackout and everybody was just screaming. All the passengers were running up and down and then we went to our cabins to get to know what is going on," said another passenger, who did not give his name.
"They said we should stay calm, it is nothing, it's just some electrical problem or just some blackout thing."
Country_Bookie wrote:Hmmmm.....the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking was just a few days ago IIRC. What a Ccincidence!
RMS Titanic was a passenger liner that struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, and sank on 15 April 1912, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.
vrampersad14 wrote:Just adding to my fear of cruises.
RIP to the fallen
..an not minding he business K74T wrote:Captain has been detained and could face possible charges of multiple homicide and abandoning ship before all passengers were rescued.
Costa Concordia sinking could cost Carnival $95m
Costa Concordia The capsized boat is one of 14 ships in the firm's fleet
The sinking of the Costa Concordia could cost parent firm Carnival up to $95m (£62m; 75m euro), the firm has said in a statement.
Carnival shares fell 18% in early trading after it said it expected the loss of earnings from the capsizing to be between $85m and $95m.
The ship ran aground on Friday night off Italy's coast, killing six people.
Italian, German, French and British nationals were among the 3,200 passengers on board.
"The vessel is expected to be out of service for the remainder of our current fiscal year if not longer," it said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange.
"For the fiscal year ending November 30, the impact to 2012 earnings for loss of use is expected to be approximately $85-$95m or $0.11-$0.12 per share."
Analysts believe the capsizing could affect holiday plans for potential cruise customers.
Shore Capital analyst Greg Johnson said: "We would highlight the potential impact on booking yields in an environment where booking patterns remain subdued."
Carnival said it had insurance coverage for damage to the vessel with an excess of $30m.
It added it "anticipates other costs to the business that are not possible to determine at this time".
Micky Arison, chairman and chief executive of Carnival Corporation, said: "At this time, our priority is the safety of our passengers and crew.
"We are deeply saddened by this tragic event and our hearts go out to everyone affected by the grounding of the Costa Concordia and especially to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives."
Carnival Corporation is the world's largest cruise ship operator. It owns 11 brands, including P&O, Cunard and Princess Cruises.
It is a dual-listed company, with headquarters in Southampton in the UK and Miami in the US.
Carnival plc, the British side of the business, is concerned with UK operations, but has responsibility for Costa Cruises, Carnival Cruises and Holland America Line.
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