Cruise ship survivors sue cruise line for $460 million Rough seas around the cruise ship Costa Concordia, stopped efforts to find the missing, and remove the fuel. A setback, as the ship continues to sink, in conditions too dangerous for divers. For survivors-- they're still coming to terms with their emotions, what they lost on board-- and whether the company's offer of compensation, is enough. GIGLIO, Italy -- Calling an initial compensation offer "insulting," an attorney representing Costa Concordia passengers announced Tuesday details of a $460 million civil lawsuit against the owner of the wrecked cruise ship, The Guardian reports. The lawsuit comes more than two weeks after the cruise ship, owned by Costa Cruises, an affiliate of Carnival Corp., capsized Jan. 13 off the coast of Italy, killing 17. At least 16 passengers remain missing and are presumed dead. Mitchell Proner, a New York-based personal injury attorney, said his firm of Proner & Proner, along with a coalition of international lawyers, is representing more than 500 passengers. He announced details of the civil lawsuit filed in Florida on Tuesday during a press conference in Genoa, Italy, according to The Guardian. He called Costa Cruises" initial offer of $14,460 to passengers for lost baggage and psychological trauma "insulting." "They must be held responsible for what they did," Proner told The Guardian. They intentionally put the passengers at risk. We believe we can win in Florida and we are going to go forward, forward, forward without fear until they don't know what hit them ... sort of like the Concordia. Proner has teamed up with another New York firm, Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik, noted for winning compensation for Ground Zero workers who had health claims related to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "At present, it is unknown as to whether the US courts will accept the class-action claim, given that the conditions set forth by the cruise ship tickets specify that litigation must take place in the Italian courts," according to a blog post on the Proner & Proner website. Unlike in Italy, accident victims who file suit in the United States can recover punitive damages if they can prove a defendant acted egregiously. These damages can soar above the amount of any actual loss. U.S. lawyers who bring successful cases on behalf of injured people can be awarded fees of as much as 30 percent of any recovery. Meanwhile, Italian emergency officials say they are calling off a search for missing people in the submerged part of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, due to the danger to rescue workers, according to the Associated Press. Italy's Civil Protection agency said Tuesday that technical studies indicated that the deformed hull of the ship created too many safety concerns to continue the search. It said in a statement that relatives and diplomatic officials representing the countries of the missing have been informed of the decision. A spokeswoman for Civil Protection, Francesca Maffini, stressed that the search for the missing would continue wherever possible, including on the part of the ship above the water, in the waters surrounding the ship and along the nearby coastline. The Concordia ran aground off the island of Giglio on Jan. 13 when the captain deviated from his planned route and struck a reef, creating a huge gash that capsized the ship. Seventeen bodies have been recovered, of which one has not yet been identified. Sixteen people are listed as missing but are presumed dead. On Saturday, divers searching the submerged sixth floor deck found a body identified as Erika Soria Molina, a crew member from Peru. The last time anyone was found alive was Jan. 15. The ship, precariously resting on one side, will likely be a part of the scenery off the Italian island of Giglio for the better part of a year.