Police detain captain of stricken cruise ship

Italian state TV has reported that the captain of the Costa Concordia was being held for questioning by Grosseto prosecutors.

Prosecutors were not immediately available for comment.

As authorities and port officials matched names on the cruise ship’s list of passengers and crew with those of survivors getting off ferries or other boats on the mainland, the number of the unaccounted for steadily dropped to roughly 40.

At darkness, the diving operations, was suspended for the night, coast guard officials said.

While only a small section of the submerged area was inspected, no signs of any survivors or victims were immediately found, said Capt. Emilio Del Santos, of the port captain’s office in Livorno.

Helicopters and sea searches of the area were continuing.

One of the victims was a Peruvian crew member, a diplomat from the South American country said, adding that a Peruvian woman was also missing.

A French Foreign Ministry official confirmed that two of the bodies were Frenchmen, both tourists.