UPDATE: Death toll rises to 17 as high winds halt salvage operation
Another body has been found on the cruise liner Costa Concordia as salvage work was suspended due to high winds.
The 17th body, believed to be a female crew member who wasn’t wearing a life jacket, was discovered on Saturday leaving at least 15 people still missing.
Officials said the £390million ship had slipped slightly on its resting place on a ledge so work pumping out fuel has had to be delayed, reports the Sun newspaper.
Dutch shipwreck salvage firm Smit has been contracted to remove 2,300 tonnes of diesel aboard the cruise liner.
Smit spokesman Martijn Schuttevaer said that the pumping operation may not begin now until midweek since the poor weather is forecast until at least Tuesday.
Costa Cruises offered €11,000 (£9,200) in compensation last week to passengers on the Costa Concordia which hit a rock and capsized off the Tuscan coast on 13 January, see previous story.
• American Express were under the spotlight this weekend after sending out a mailshot to customers advertising a cruise on the stricken Costa Concordia.
The advert, which was sent to cardholders in America featured a cruise touring Italy, France, and Spain starting on 25 February, the New York Daily News reported.
An American Express spokeswoman told the News: "The mailing was already underway when the accident occurred. We apologise for any inconvenience to those who received it."
Diane
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