Genoa: Seven Dead As Ship Crashes Into Port

At least seven people have died and six are missing after a container ship smashed into a control tower at the port of Genoa.

Unconfirmed reports have suggested engine failure of the Jolly Nero ship could have been to blame for the crash after one of the pilots was quoted as saying: "Two engines seem to have failed and we lost control of the ship."

Part of the tower, in which about 14 people were present at the time of the crash, collapsed into the water.

One of the victims is thought to be a woman in her 30s, while at least two of the others are men. Six people have been reported seriously injured.

Some of those missing are understood to have been trapped under rubble or in a lift which may have fallen into the sea.

Some rescue workers dived into the water around the port in a frantic search to find survivors while others have been using dogs trained to find people in earthquake zones to see if survivors were trapped under the rubble.

At daybreak, a mobile telephone began to ring beneath the wrecked structure raising hopes of locating people alive, but it rang off before rescue workers could find it.

Italian emergency workers found one badly injured man in the rubble of the control tower.

The man worked as a telephone operator and has been named locally as 50-year-old Maurizio Potenza.

An employee of the Genoa-based Messina Line company, which owns the vessel, said: "There was an accident when the ship was leaving the port.

"It ran into the tower, but we don't know why at this point, nor how many people are hurt."

Claudio Burlando, president of the Liguria region that is home to the northwestern port city, told SKY TG 24 that the ship was being conducted by an on-board pilot and two tug boats, one in front and one behind.

"It was a manoeuvre done hundreds of times. We're all wondering what could have happened," he said.

"The weather conditions were perfect, there was no wind, there were no other ships on the move," Luigi Merlo, the head of Genoa's port authority, told reporters.

The crash happened during a shift change at the vast metal tower, which meant more people were present.

The tower bent over 45 degrees before collapsing, leaving only what looked like an emergency staircase standing.

Roberto, the port's night watch, told La Repubblica newspaper: "I heard a terrible din and rushed out of my cabin. It was an incredible sight: the control tower was leaning perilously."

The Jolly Nero is almost 200m (655ft) long, 30m (98ft) wide, and weighs over 40,500 tons.

The ship's owner, Stefano Messina, choked back tears as he said: "We are all utterly shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened before."

The Jolly Nero's captain is being questioned by police on suspicion of manslaughter.

Italians are still reeling from the Costa Concordia shipwreck off Giglio island in 2012 which left 32 people dead.

Hearings against six suspects in the cruise liner disaster began in Italy on April 15.