Wed Jan. 18 2012

Rescuers have paused their search for bodies in a stricken cruise ship off Italy’s west coast due to fears that the now-shifting vessel could put the workers in harm’s way.

Instruments attached to the Costa Concordia sensed slight movement on the ship Wednesday as it lay partially submerged in the water off the small island of Giglio.

The discovery has forced search teams to abandon their hunt for 22 individuals who have been missing since the ship ran aground last Friday with more than 4,200 people on board.

So far, 11 people have been confirmed dead and officials fear there are more victims trapped in the submerged half of the ship.

Coast Guard Cmdr. Filippo Marini said the decision to stop the search was a precautionary measure so officials could check “if there actually was a movement, and if there has been one, how big this was.”

Time is of the essence, however, and the recent setback has dulled hopes that anyone will be found alive on the multi-million dollar vessel.

The bodies of four men and one woman, all wearing life jackets, were pulled from the wrecked ship on Tuesday.

Rescuers are eager to find people who are still unaccounted for but the precarious position of the ship poses a risk to them, said Rome-based freelance journalist Megan Williams.

Environmental disaster fears loom

“If the weather is choppy enough and the sea is rough enough, the ship could shift and possibly sink further down,” she told CTV’s Canada AM on Wednesday.

Adding to their fear is the potential of a massive environmental disaster off the coast of Italy. Workers still need to pump out 2,500 tons of fuel that remains trapped inside the ship, said Williams.

“They want to do that before they dismantle the ship or somehow use mechanical balloons to bring it back up,” she said in a Skype interview from Rome.

Fire department spokesperson Luca Cari said once officials say it’s safe to approach the ship again, both the search for bodies and the attempt to pump out fuel will continue.

Meanwhile, the Costa Concordia’s captain has been placed under house arrest and faces criminal charges including manslaughter and abandoning the ship.

Prosecutors are expected to file charges against Capt. Francesco Schettino in the next few days.

A recorded conversation between Schettino and Italian Coast Guard Capt. Gregorio De Falco surfaced Tuesday. The widely circulated tape suggests Schettino resisted orders to board the ship again.

“Go on board! Co-ordinate the rescue from aboard the ship. Are you refusing?” an audibly frustrated De Falco can be heard shouting in the audio tape.

Schettino said he wasn’t refusing but still didn’t head back to the ship. At one point he told De Falco it was dark and he couldn’t see anything.

“And so what? You want to go home, Schettino? It is dark and you want to go home? Get on that prow of the boat using the pilot ladder and tell me what can be done,” De Falco shouted back.

Twenty-four passengers and four crew are still listed as missing. Six bodies have been pulled from the wreckage since Monday but those people still haven’t been identified.