The vast wreck of the cruise ship Costa Concordia shifted on its undersea ledge Friday forcing a new suspension of rescue work and threatening plans to pump oil out to prevent environmental disaster.
Seven days after the ship ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan coast, hopes of finding anyone alive have all but disappeared and the cold waters around the ship have become rougher, with worse weather expected at the weekend.
Rescue squads are now discussing the next steps after the movement made conditions unsafe for divers already hampered by poor visibility, floating objects and underwater debris.
Amateur video obtained by Italian TV network Rai shows the confusion abroad the ship, just minutes after the vessel hit rocks. A crew member tells the passengers the "electrical problem" with the generator has been fixed and people should go back to their cabins.
Attention is now turning to how to remove more than 2,300 tonnes of fuel aboard the vessel.
Salvage crews are waiting until the search for survivors and bodies is called off before they can begin pumping the fuel out of the wreck, a process expected to take at least two weeks.
Italy risks its worst environmental disaster in more than 20 years if the fuel pollutes one of the Mediterranean's most prized maritime reserves.
Eleven people are known to have died out of more than 4,200 passengers and crew aboard. As many as 24 people are still unaccounted for.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.
