Rescuers find sixth cruise ship body

A passenger’s body has been found in the wreckage of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, raising to six the number of confirmed dead in the disaster, Italian rescue officials said.

Sixteen people remain unaccounted for.

Fire official Luca Cari told state radio today that the victim was a man, found in a corridor in the part of the ship that was still above water.

He said the victim was wearing the orange life vest of passengers.

The number unaccounted for increased because two Sicilian women, originally listed among the evacuated, have not contacted relatives.

Mr Cari said a search of all the ship, including a divers’ inspection of the submerged areas, continues, but the sea is becoming rough.