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Italian cruise ship divers resume operations
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The Associated Press
Divers have resumed the search for 21 people still missing since the cruise ship Costa Concordia struck a rock and foundered last Friday near the Italian island of Giglio off the Tuscan coast.
They were scouring the submerged area of the ship once officials determined it had stabilized after shifting on the rocks a day earlier.
Rough seas were forecast for later Thursday, however, adding uncertainty to the search. Plans to begin pumping about two million litres of fuel from the vessel remained tentative, depending on the weather. Operators are loathe to add an oil spill to the problems facing the island, the salvage operation and the cruise ship's owners.
Italy's environment minister warned parliament of the ecological implications if the ship sinks.
Some earlier reports have indicated there might be a 12- to 24-hour window for completing the rescue operation, effectively setting a deadline for divers.
Later Thursday, however, the chief spokesman for the divers said no deadline had been set for them to end the search of the Costa Concordia, Reuters reported.
"We have not yet set a deadline," Luca Cari said. "The situation is still evolving."
He added: "Today is an important day, the weather forecasts are negative, rough sea, we'll have to see how the ship reacts to that."
The missing people include a five-year-old Italian girl and her father. The girl's mother issued a fresh appeal to speed the search and for passengers who saw the pair to come forward to help determine where they were last seen.
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