Up to 70 cruise passengers missing and three dead as captain of capsized cruise liner is arrested

The Costa Concordia after the evacuation off the Itaiian coast had been completed. Tonight Captain Francesco Schettino was being quizzed by police

Lifeboats are pictured in the foreground. Among the dead was a man around age 65, who officials believe may not have been able to withstand the cold of the sea at night

Italian news agency Ansa said 4,165 out of the 4,234 people on-board were safe but did not know the whereabouts of the remaining 69

Passengers spoke of having to crawl along near vertical hallways and stairwells to escape the ship as it began to take on more and more water

Up to 70 cruise ship passengers were still missing and three were confirmed dead tonight, following the capsizing of a cruise liner off the coast of Italy.
As divers spent the day searching the seas around the Costa Concodia, which overturned after hitting rocks just two hours after setting sail on a seven-day cruise, the boat's captain Francesco Schettino was being quizzed by police.
Survivors of the disaster tonight told of a 'chaotic evacuation' after the the ship started to list, with some crew members even telling holidaymakers to return to their cabins.
Captain Schettino today told maritime investigators that charts showed he was in waters deep enough to navigate, but reports emerged that the boat was four miles off course when it ran aground.
A gaping 160ft gash was torn in the hull, which quickly filled a large section of the ship with water, causing it to list to one side and creating panic within.