At least three people are dead and as many as 70 more are unaccounted for following a cruise ship accident in Italy. It is not known what caused the cruise ship crash on Saturday, although officials have said that the cruise ship suffered a 160-foot gash along the hull. Among those who died in the boating accident were two French passengers and a Peruvian crewman.
According to MSNBC (01/14/12), up to 100 Americans are believed to have been aboard the ship, which ran aground and tipped onto its side near Tuscany. Survivors described scenes of chaos, with some passengers reporting the trip was disorganized. Some passengers left on the ship were rescued by helicopter with others jumping into the sea for safety.
The ship was operated by Costa Cruises and was on a cruise across the Mediterranean Sea when the accident occurred.