Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard "we have a blackout"
Italian media have broadcast what they say is the first phone conversation between port officials and crew of the Costa Concordia as the cruise ship was starting to sink on Friday.
In the exchange, said to have taken place 30 minutes after the ship hit rocks, a crew member is heard saying it is experiencing only a blackout.
The vessel ran aground with some 4,200 people on board. At least 11 died.
The continuing search for the missing may be threatened by worsening weather.
The ship is lying on its side just off the Tuscan island of Giglio, but there are fears it could slip into deeper water.
Twenty-one people are still missing, and hopes to find any of them alive are fading fast.
List of dead and missing
- Confirmed dead: Sandor Feher, Hungary, crew; French nationals Pierre Gregoire, Jeanne Gannard, Jean-Pierre Micheaud, Francis Servil, passengers; Italian Giovanni Masia, passenger; Spaniard Guillermo Gual, passenger; Peruvian Thomas Alberto Costilla Mendoza, crew.
- Missing: 21 people plus three unidentified bodies. Nationalities as follows: 12 Germans, six Italians (including one crew member), two French, two Americans, one Peruvian (crew), one Indian (crew)
- Official missing list
- Relatives seek the missing
In the audio tape aired on Thursday, a port authority officer is heard asking the crewman about the situation on board, after passengers had reported a huge jolt and been told to put on life vests.
But an unidentified voice from the Costa Concordia replies: "We had a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board."
"Do you need help or are you staying in the Giglio area for now?" the port official asks.
"Confirmed. We remain here in the area to check the blackout," the crew member replies, without making any reference to a crash.
The BBC's Alan Johnston on Giglio says the impression left by the recording is that the crewman failed to give a full account of the gravity of the situation.
Woman sought
The ship's captain, Francisco Schettino, is under house arrest on suspicion of multiple manslaughter.
Moldovan passenger Domnica Cemortan: 'Passengers were like a herd of lost sheep'
The owners say he was sailing too close to Giglio on an unauthorised course.
Prosecutors have also accused him of fleeing the ship before evacuation was complete. He denies the accusations.
However Italian media have said Capt Schettino did admit to making a navigational error.
He told investigators he had "ordered the turn too late" as the luxury ship sailed close to an island, according to a leaked interrogation transcript.
He also reportedly said the crew had decided to sail close to the island to salute a former colleague.
The company that owns the ship, Costa Cruises, has suspended Capt Schettino and withdrawn an offer to pay his legal costs, according to reports.
Italian media have also shown pictures of a Moldovan woman who says she was on the bridge after the ship ran aground. The woman defended Capt Schettino's actions, in an interview with Moldovan TV.
The reports say investigators are trying to speak to her.
On Thursday, rescue workers continued their search of submerged parts on the ship, after the coastguard said the wreck had stabilised.
Salvage operators are standing by to start pumping fuel from the ship's tanks to avoid a potential environmental disaster.
Were you on the cruise ship? Are you still waiting to hear of news of your missing friend or relative? Are you involved in the rescue effort? Share your experiences.