Nine feared dead in Italy cargo ship crash NINE people are feared dead after a container ship crashed in Italy's busiest port of Genoa, bringing down a 50-metre control tower in an accident that revived memories of last year's Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster. The Jolly Nero ploughed into the dock in the night during a standard manoeuvre as it was being steered to exit the port on its way to Naples with a cargo of industrial vehicles and containers. Some of the victims were thrown into the water, while others were trapped in the tower's lift, which plunged into the sea, emergency workers said. "Seven people died, four were injured and two are missing," Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi told parliament after visiting the scene of the tragedy. Earlier media reports that a 50-year-old man, a telephone operator, had been pulled alive from the rubble on Wednesday were not confirmed. Lupi said there were three possible explanations for the accident: engine failure, a problem with cables used by the two tug boats towing the ship, or bad steering and excessively high speed. Prosecutors have placed the ship's captain and a port pilot who had been on board during the manoeuvre under investigation for multiple manslaughter and have sequestered the ship. Prosecutor Michele Di Lecce said investigators were also looking into a possible charge of "attack on transport security" since the control tower oversaw maritime operations for the entire Liguria region of northwest Italy. "We do not exclude that other people could be placed under investigation," he said. The Jolly Nero was following protocol by navigating towards the control tower and should have then turned into the open sea to its next port of call but it instead hit the shore. The crash carried echoes of the Costa Concordia tragedy last year in which 32 people were killed when a luxury liner crashed into a Tuscan island. The Costa Concordia had been performing a risky "salute" manoeuvre close to the island of Giglio and six people face charges of manslaughter including the captain, Francesco Schettino. Initial reports suggested the Jolly Nero, built in 1976, had suffered a mechanical failure. The company's fleet has been involved in a series of incidents around the world in recent years, including in South Africa and Egypt. A report by Il Fatto Quotidiano daily said the company's ships had been tied to episodes of toxic waste trafficking in the past. Rescue divers were still searching the inky waters around the port. Others were using dogs trained to find people in earthquake zones to see if any survivors might be trapped under the rubble.