Italy divers search stricken cruise liner

Divers are searching the submerged half of a cruise ship for around 70 people still missing hours after the vessel ran aground off the Italian coast.

A coast guard official said the missing might be trapped “in the belly of the ship”.

Capt Cosimo Nicastro said tonight there were no firm indications that any one was trapped on the Costa Concordia.

But he noted that rescuers carried out an extensive search of the waters near the ship for hours and “we would have seen bodies”.

He said “the place where they might be is in the belly of the ship”.

Three bodies were recovered after the cruise ship with more than 4,200 people aboard ran aground off the tiny island of Giglio off Tuscany late on Friday.