It could take experts three months to analyse the voice recorder from the Costa Concordia, the prosecutor leading the Italian investigation into the shipwreck said.

A young Moldovan woman who says she was called to the bridge of the stricken Costa Concordia to help evacuate Russian passengers, defended its embattled captain, saying he worked tirelessly and "saved over 3,000 lives".

A NEW audiotape has emerged of the captain of the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia insisting that the vessel only had a blackout a full 30 minutes after it had rammed into a reef.

The Italian operator of the Costa Concordia has today accused the ship's jailed captain, Francesco Schettino, of causing ship to run aground, saying he made an "unapproved, unauthorised manoeuvre'' to divert the vessel from its programmed course.

Emergency Services in Italy are denying reports that a seventh body has been found amid the wreckage of the Costa Condordia this morning.

THE captain of the wrecked cruise ship that hit rocks off Italy sailed close to land to “show the ship to the port”, the liner’s owners said yesterday.

The number of people missing from a shipwreck off Italy rose to 29 tonight, as the captain was accused of sailing close to land to “make a salute”.

The captain of a cruise liner that ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan coast faced accusations from authorities and passengers that he abandoned ship before everyone was safely evacuated and was showing off when he steered the vessel far too close to shore.

Coast guard divers searching the submerged part of the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia today found the bodies of two elderly men still in their life jackets, authorities said.

An Italian prosecutor has confirmed allegations from passengers and others that the captain of the cruise ship abandoned the stricken liner before all the passengers had left.

A third survivor was discovered today inside the overturned Costa Concordia cruise ship grounded off the Tuscan coast.