Costa Concordia Tragedy: 14 People Still Missing from Sunken Cruise Ship

As many as 14 people, who were on board the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia, are still missing, it has been reported.

According to Reuters, half of the submerged hulk of the capsized vessel has already been searched. A total of six people were killed and 60 others sustained injuries when the vessel went down after hitting a submerged rock near Italy's Isola del Giglio on the night of January 13. The vessel was on a cruise trip on the West Mediterranean Sea.

A newlywed couple from South Korea, who boarded the vessel to celebrate their honeymoon, and a member of the ship's crew were among those confirmed dead, the report said. Three more bodies were recovered late on Sunday night and early on Monday morning.

Francesco Schettino, the captain of the vessel, was arrested for manslaughter and abandoning his vessel before the passengers and the crew were evacuated.

Italian defence minister Giampaolo Di Paola told the RAI state television: "In my estimation, there was a serious human error, which had dramatic and tragic consequences."

"The route followed by the ship was too close to the coast and it seems that his (the captain's) decisions on the management of the emergency did not follow the procedures of Costa Crociere, which are in line with and in some cases go beyond international standards," said Costa Crociere, the firm which operates the vessel, in a statement.