Costa Concordia: Five More Bodies Found

Five more bodies have been found in the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which struck a reef off the coast of Italy in January.

The discovery raises to 30 the number of bodies recovered. Two people remain missing and are presumed dead.

News of three bodies was revealed by Franco Gabrielli, the head of the Civil Protection agency who is in charge of search and salvage operations.

It later emerged two more bodies had been found by divers.

Mr Gabrielli was speaking during a visit to the Tuscan island of Giglio, where the Concordia ran aground with over 4,000 passengers and crew on board.

The accident happened during dinner just a few hours after the liner had left port.

It began listing almost immediately, causing passengers to panic and scramble for the lifeboats.

The order to evacuate was not given for about an hour and some passengers jumped overboard when several of the lifeboats could not be deployed.

The Costa Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino , is under house arrest at his home near Naples while he is investigated for alleged manslaughter and abandoning his ship.

His first officer Ciro Ambrosio and two other crew members have also been placed under formal investigation, along with three officials from owners Costa Cruises.

The company was in the headlines again about a month later when another of its liners, the Costa Allegra, suffered an engine room fire and lost all power.

The ship had to be towed to port in the Seychelles where its passengers disembarked.