Three Russians missing in Italian cruise shipwreck – embassy

Three Russian nationals are missing after a luxury cruise ship ran aground near the coast of Tuscany late Friday, killing at least three people and forcing the evacuation of over 4,000, Russia’s diplomatic mission in Rome said on Sunday.

The Costa Concordia liner with over 4,200 passengers on board, ran aground off the Isola del Giglio island. At least three people - two French passengers and a crewmember from Peru - were killed and 67 were injured.

“As of January 15, Russia’s embassy in Rome has been able to find the location of 105 out of 108 Russian nationals (who were aboard the cruise ship),” the embassy said.

The search for those missing in the shipwreck is continuing as at least 40 passengers are still unaccounted for, rescuers have said.

Italian prosecutors said they detained Captain Francesco Schettino and First Mate Ciro Ambrosio. They are suspected of manslaughter and abandoning ship in distress.

Schettino was interviewed for several hours before being taken to a pretrial detention facility. He said that the Costa Concordia hit reefs that were not marked on the navigation map.