A woman who says she was with the captain on the bridge of the Costa Concordia after it ran aground off an Italian island has emerged as a potential new witness.
Police are trying to track down the woman, who is believed to be Moldovan, saying she could hold the key to how the disaster happened.
Witnesses have said that the young blonde woman appeared to know Schettino and was even seen sitting in a reception room next to the bridge.
Italian media have reported that she was also seen dining with the captain at around 9pm - just under 30 minutes before the ship struck a reef near Giglio on the Tuscan coast.
Costa Cruises denied reports suggesting the woman was not on the official passenger manifest.
Domnica Cemortan says she was not in the bridge at the time of the crash
"Based on the pictures broadcast by the media, the woman... was certainly embarked on January 13 in Civitavecchia and duly registered," the company said in a statement.
"The company is ready to provide the authorities, when requested, with the identity of the person and the number of the ticket purchased."
:: Click here for our graphic sequence to find out how the cruise liner ended up on its side
The woman has not been officially identified but Italian media suggests it is Dominica Cemortan, 25, from Chisnau, Moldavia, who was working as a passenger representative for Costa Cruises.
It has been reported that Schettino may have been trying to impress her - on top of the allegations police are investigating that he took the ship off course to "make a salute".
Ms Cemortan is believed to have given a brief interview to the media after the tragedy where she defended Schettino, saying that his actions had helped save the lives of holidaymakers and crew.
Captain Francesco Schettino is under house arrest
As her name emerged, she reportedly changed her home town on her Facebook profile to Zanzibar in Tanzania.
Her mother has also been quoted in the media saying her daughter had worked on the ship but that her contract had expired, adding that her family had bought her a holiday on board for her birthday.
In an interview with a Moldovan newspaper, Ms Cemortan later confirmed she was on the ship but denied she was in the bridge at the time of the incident.
She said she was called there afterwards and asked by the captain to use her Russian-speaking skills to assist passengers.
The latest revelation comes as divers resumed the search of the 290m vessel for the 21 passengers and three crew who are still missing.
There are growing fears the ship may slip off the rocks it is perched on and sink to the bottom of the sea amid forecasts of bad weather.
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