Three dead as cruise ship capsizes near Italy Published on Saturday 14 January 2012 17:39 Dozens of Britons were safely rescued after a luxury cruise liner ran aground and later capsized off the Italian coast. But three people on board the ship were confirmed dead by the Italian coastguard, and divers were tonight scouring the submerged hull for around 70 people who remain missing. The Foreign Office said it was unable to verify reports that all 37 British nationals were safe after Costa Cruises announced the 25 passengers and 12 crew members had been accounted for. The Costa Concordia, which was carrying more than 4,000 passengers, experienced trouble a few hundred metres from the tiny Tuscan holiday island of Giglio on Friday evening after apparently sailing off course. There was panic as desperate passengers scrambled to evacuate the stricken vessel as it began to take on water and list to the right, with some opting to jump into the sea. The three dead were said to be two French passengers and one Peruvian crew member. An Italian coastguard official, Capt Cosimo Nicastro, said rescue divers were still searching the submerged half of a cruise ship for people who may be trapped "in the belly of the ship." The first sign that something was wrong on the vessel was a power black-out and large "boom" noise at around 10.30pm on Friday, according to passengers. The ship then ran aground off Giglio and a massive coastguard rescue operation involving helicopters and rescue boats was immediately launched. As the sun rose today, the ship could be seen almost completely on its side. The disaster happened in the centenary year of the Titanic disaster, in which more than 1,500 people died. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in close contact with the local authorities and are working urgently to identify British nationals involved. A consular team from the British Embassy will shortly be in the area to provide consular assistance. Pictures showed a massive gash in the hull more than 150ft long, with a huge rock embedded in the side of the ship towards the stern. Calm seas and little wind helped the rescue operation, which is said to have involved five helicopters, from the coastguard, navy and air force. Survivors far outnumbered Giglio's 1,000 or so residents, and island Mayor Sergio Ortelli asked for "anyone with a roof" to open their homes to shelter the evacuees. The evacuees took refuge in schools, hotels, and a church on the tiny island, before they were taken by local ferries to Port Santo Stefano on the mainland.