Cruise Ship Costa Concordia Capsizes Off Island Of Giglia

At least three people were killed and scores remain unaccounted for after a cruise ship ran aground near the Italian island of Giglio on Friday night, local emergency officials said Saturday.

Rescue teams worked through the night to evacuate more than 4,000 people from the Costa Concordia, owned by Genoa-based Costa Cruises, after it ran aground off of Italy’s western coast.

Giuseppe Orsina, a spokesman for the local civil protection agency said, “We are verifying the different lists of passengers and staff that have been given to us from Costa and at the moment from 43 to 51 people are missing.

“These people could be still on the island of Giglio, in private houses or in hospitals.”

The coast guard said 50 to 70 people could be missing.

Updated 01/19/2011: See all our Costa Concordia Coverage HERE.

Authorities said earlier Saturday they believed everyone was accounted for, but that they did not have a definitive list of names.

The huge ship, which which is now lying on its side in shallow water, was carrying about 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members when it ran aground at about dinner time.

Initial reports suggested as many as six people had been killed, but it was unclear why the number dropped. An additional 14 people were injured, Said, Adm. Ilarione Dell’Anna, head of coastal authorities for the port city of Livorno.

Passengers described how the lights went out and it then became clear the ship had hit something, prompting scenes of chaos.

Laurie Willits from Ontario, who was watching a magic show with her husband at that moment, “We heard a scraping noise to the left of the ship and then my husband said ‘we’re sliding off our seats.’”

The couple ran to their cabin to get coats and life jackets before making their way to a lifeboat. Emergency instructions in English were hard to hear, Willits said.

Costa Concordia Showing Big Hole In It's Hull

Panic spread as people scrambled to find lifeboats in the dark as the ship quickly leaned to one side. Access to some lifeboats was hampered by the ship’s tilt into the water, adding to the confusion.

Willits and her husband, who managed to get into a lifeboat about an hour to 90 minutes after the alarm was raised, watched from a pier on the island as the ship slowly sank until it was at an almost 90 degree angle in the water.

“I’m exhausted, I haven’t had any sleep, I’m hungry,” Willits said, but added that she was relieved to have been able to call her family thanks to the help of people on the island.

The civil protection agency in the town of Grosseto, the provincial capital, said Saturday morning that the emergency operation was still ongoing and parts of the ship remained underwater.

The coast guard said three helicopters were used to rescue some passengers from the ship.

Evacuation efforts started promptly but were made “extremely difficult” by the position of the ship, according to a statement on Costa’s website. Some passengers fell into the chilly waters during the rescue, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported.

Dell’Anna said an investigation is under way.

“There has probably been a technical blackout,” he said. “The ship was dangerously near the coast. We worked all night in a state of maximum emergency.

“Fortunately the sea conditions have helped us, otherwise — given the high number of people to rescue, 4,231 — we could have had a completely different scenario: a real tragedy.”

Many of those rescued in the early hours were taken to small churches and other buildings around the island for shelter.

Some were still wearing the pajamas and slippers they had on as the ship went down, as they waited for help Saturday morning at reception centers set up on the island.

One of the victims was a 65-year-old woman who died of a heart attack, according to authorities.

Costa said it was focusing on the final stages of the emergency operation and helping passengers and crew return home.

“It is a tragedy that deeply affects our company. Our first thoughts go to the victims and we would like to express our condolences and our closeness to their families and friends,” Costa said on its website.

The Concordia, built in 2006, was on a Mediterranean cruise from Rome with stops in Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Cagliari and Palermo, according to the cruise line. It was unclear how far into the cruise the grounding occurred.

Most of the passengers on board were Italian, as well as some French and German citizens. CNN affiliate America Noticias, in Peru, said a group of 32 Peruvians were also onboard.

Updated 01/17/2012. Underwater Photos and more details on CNN.

Article source CNN. Videos by Reuters and NBC. Photo Slideshow by CNN.

Updated 03/03/2012. Crowd Packs Costa Concordia Court Hearing.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy