Cruise ship captain 'off course'

Images of the capsized Costa Concordia dominate the front pages of Italian newspapers and news websites, which are full of reports of the disaster and its aftermath, including stories from passengers, crew and locals on the island of Giglio.

"Concordia, a night of errors and lies", is the headline in Rome's La Repubblica.

The paper speaks of the ship lying like a "beached whale" off the coast. It describes how local fishermen rushed into their boats to help passengers when it became clear that the ship was in distress.

"Italy owes to the world, to international public opinion, to the families of those who lost their lives or were injured... a convincing explanation and harsh punishments for those responsible for this tragedy," says an editorial in best-selling daily Corriere Della Sera.

"The captain's position worsens: he did not raise the alarm and refused to go back on board," says the headline in Turin's La Stampa. Among the distressing stories it carries is that of Claudio Masi, who struggled to get his children, wife and mother onto lifeboats, but was unable to go back for his 85-year-old father, who was later found among the dead.

Many papers hail the ship's chief purser, Manrico Gianpetroni, as one of the heroes of the hour. Mr Gianpetroni, who was rescued from deep inside the vessel 36 hours after its hull was ripped open by rocks, is credited with helping dozens of people to safety before breaking his leg in a fall.

The daily Il Giornale brands the disaster a "global embarrassment" for Italy, but other papers report on growing anger among the ship's crew at attempts in the media to portray them as incompetent.

"We evacuated 4,000 people from a ship lying on its side in the dark, in less than two hours! Incompetent people would not have been able to do that," Katia Keyvanian, a hostess on the ship, is quoted as saying.

"Anguish over those still missing" is the focus for Rome's Il Messaggero. In an update, the paper's website reports that rescue operations have been suspended as rough weather makes the vessel slip into deeper water.