Costa blames captain for cruise-ship disaster

Italian cruise company Costa Crociere has blamed the captain of Costa Concordia for "committing errors" which caused the major disaster.

In a statement the company said Capt Francesco Schettino sailed too close to the land and did not follow emergency procedures. "It seems that the commander made errors of judgement that had serious consequences," Costa Crociere said.

The Italian cruise ship capsized after hitting rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio in western Italy on Friday. So far five people have died in tragedy and around 15 still remain unaccounted for. Divers are searching for survivors.

"The route followed by the ship turned out to be too close to the coast, and it seems that his decision in handling the emergency didn't follow Costa Crociere's procedures which are in line, and in some cases, go beyond, international standards," the statement added.

Capt Schettino has been detained on suspicion of manslaughter, but he has denied any wrongdoing, saying the rocks the ship hit were not marked on his nautical chart. It is also claimed that he left the ship before the evacuation procedure was complete.

On Sunday rescue teams recovered the bodies of two elderly men trapped in a flooded section of the Costa Concordia. The were wearing life jackets but had not been rescued in time.

The ship, carrying more than 4,200 people, was on the first night of a Mediterranean cruise when it ran aground.