Another body found aboard toppled Costa Concordia
ROME (AP) – Officials said divers searching the toppled Costa Concordia have discovered another body in the submerged cruise ship.
By Pier Paolo Cito, AP
Oil recovery experts work on the Costa Concordia off the Italian island of Giglio on Tuesday.
EnlargeCloseBy Pier Paolo Cito, AP
Oil recovery experts work on the Costa Concordia off the Italian island of Giglio on Tuesday.
display_afs_ads(afs_top_ads, "topsponsoredLinks");The discovery on the third floor deck brings to 16 the number of bodies found since the Jan. 13 grounding. Officials at the Tuscan prefect"s office said Tuesday they couldn"t immediately confirm Italian news reports that the body was that of a woman.
The discovery was made as a large platform carrying a crane and other equipment hitched itself to the shipwreck, signaling the start of preliminary operations to remove a half-million gallons of fuel from the ship"s tanks.
PHOTOS: Cruise ship runs aground off ItalyBLOG: Cruise CEO: Accident a "defining moment" for linesActual pumping of the oil isn"t expected to begin until Saturday, and will continue in tandem with search and rescue operations.
Officials have identified an initial six tanks that will be tapped, located in a relatively easy-to-reach area of the ship. Franco Gabrielli, head of the national civil protection agency, said once they are emptied, 50% of the fuel aboard the ship will have been extracted.