Girl’s body found in cruise ship

ROME: Divers searching the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship off a Tuscan island found eight bodies on one of the passenger decks yesterday, including that of a missing five-year-old Italian girl.

Italy’s national civil protection agency said three of the bodies were recovered a few hours after being seen by fire department divers.

Because of worsening weather, the divers were unable to immediately retrieve the other five bodies.

The bodies were being taken to a hospital on the mainland for identification, a process which could take days.

Before yesterday’s development, 15 people were listed as missing, but only one of them, Dayana Arlotti, was a child. The five-year-old had been on the Mediterranean cruise with her father and his girlfriend. The girlfriend survived, but the father was among the missing.

Including the missing – who are presumed dead – and bodies already recovered, the death toll stands at 32.

Dayana’s father William had a history of health problems, and was said by family to be travelling to celebrate a new lease on life – he had received a kidney and pancreas transplant.

Some witnesses told the media they last saw him during the evacuation as he went back to his cabin to retrieve life-saving medication.

The Concordia, which was carrying about 4 200 passengers and crew, struck a reef off the Tuscan island of Giglio on January 13, took on water and started listing badly until it lay on its side. – Sapa-ap