Costa Concordia: Two More Bodies Pulled From Ship, Many Still Missing

Two more bodies have been found aboard the Concordia cruise ship, the Italian coast guard said today, taking the total death toll to five.

The ship, which ran aground off the Italian coast on Saturday, is thought to have hit a rock near to the Tuscan island of Giglio. Three people are confirmed dead, with a further 40 reported missing.

Three survivors were rescued from the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia, as the foreign secretary confirmed all British passengers and crew on board have been accounted for and are safe.

A dramatic rescue took place late on Saturday night, when divers discovered a man and a woman in the ship's hull. According to BBC reports, the honeymooning South Korean couple were located after rescuers heard voices from a cabin two decks down on the half-submerged ship late on Saturday. They were reached a few hours later.

The couple, both 29 years old, were both in good health when they were brought ashore.

The third survivor, Manrico Gianpetroni, is an Italian national and a senior member of the crew. He was placed on a stretcher and winched up to a rescue helicopter, to be taken to hospital on the mainland after suffering serious leg injuries.

On Sunday, foreign secretary William Hague settled fears when he issued a statement saying all 25 British passengers, as well as 12 British crew members, were safe.

According to the Press Association, British consular staff have been dispatched to the scene of the incident. One British passenger on board the liner told her father the incident "felt like the sinking of the Titanic".

Three people were killed, two of them French passengers and the third a Peruvian crew member.

An evacuation operation involving five helicopters, from the coast guard, navy and air force, as well as boats and divers was launched after the luxury liner began to capsize. More than 4,000 people were rescued, though the search continues. Those pulled from the water are being sheltered in hotels, schools and churches on the island.

The ship's captain and first officer are being questioned by Italian prosecutors on suspicion of manslaughter.

The country's state television claimed Master Francesco Schettino and the officer were being quizzed over the events that led to at least three deaths among passengers and crew after the Italian-owned liner listed and keeled over a few hundred metres from the tiny Tuscan holiday island of Giglio on Friday evening after apparently sailing off course.

Unconfirmed reports indicated they were being held on suspicion of "abandoning ship" and "multiple manslaughter".

The search for those still missing was resumed on Sunday morning, as the first wave of Britons caught up in the drama are due back on UK soil.