Emergency teams have been called into action to rescue passengers missing after their cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, ran aground off the coast of Italy, near the island of Giglio.
The ship carried approximately 4,000 people, three of whom are now confirmed dead and many (nearly 70) are currently missing. Some of those who are missing may, however, have swum to shore and have not been accounted for yet.
The Costa Concordia sailed from Civitavecchia near Rome on Friday morning. It apparently hit the rocks off Giglio late the first evening of the cruise.
According to current media reports, the ship’s evacuation drill was not scheduled until Saturday afternoon, so passengers were uninformed as to how best to evacuate. Some jumped into the sea after the life boats were delayed.
