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| All 35 Britons on Costa Concordia safe - William Hague | All 35 Britons on Costa Concordia safe - William Hague |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| All 35 Britons who were on board the Costa Concordia are safe, Foreign Secretary William Hague has said. | All 35 Britons who were on board the Costa Concordia are safe, Foreign Secretary William Hague has said. |
| He told Sky News the 23 passengers and 12 crew had been accounted for, but had been through a "very dreadful and distressing experience". | He told Sky News the 23 passengers and 12 crew had been accounted for, but had been through a "very dreadful and distressing experience". |
| Three people are so far confirmed dead and about 40 are unaccounted for after the ship hit a rock off the Italian coast on Friday. | Three people are so far confirmed dead and about 40 are unaccounted for after the ship hit a rock off the Italian coast on Friday. |
| Earlier a honeymooning British couple told how they used a ladder to escape. | Earlier a honeymooning British couple told how they used a ladder to escape. |
| A South Korean couple, also on honeymoon, were rescued earlier on Sunday from their cabin in the half-submerged ship. | |
| A team is now trying to reach a third survivor. He is believed to be a crew member and is thought to have a serious leg injury. | |
| Captain arrested | |
| The ship's captain and first officer have both been arrested. The captain was held on suspicion of causing deaths - prosecutors say he left the ship before evacuation was complete. | |
| Mr Hague said the news that all Britons were safe came from "a lot of information from different sources". | Mr Hague said the news that all Britons were safe came from "a lot of information from different sources". |
| "We're not complacent about that, there may well be some other information that comes to light, but based on all the phone calls we've had, the passenger lists, the people that we've been able to track down... 35 British nationals are safe and accounted for." | "We're not complacent about that, there may well be some other information that comes to light, but based on all the phone calls we've had, the passenger lists, the people that we've been able to track down... 35 British nationals are safe and accounted for." |
| He said there would be consular assistance available to the survivors at the airport, and a reception centre at a Rome hotel, although he said it was the responsibility of the cruise liner to arrange flights for people back home. | He said there would be consular assistance available to the survivors at the airport, and a reception centre at a Rome hotel, although he said it was the responsibility of the cruise liner to arrange flights for people back home. |
| He said: "We are doing our utmost to look after everybody. | He said: "We are doing our utmost to look after everybody. |
| "They've been through a very dreadful and distressing experience, so we'll do all we can to look after them, that is our prime concern in a case like this, to make sure British nationals are safe and looked after." | "They've been through a very dreadful and distressing experience, so we'll do all we can to look after them, that is our prime concern in a case like this, to make sure British nationals are safe and looked after." |
| The British couple, Ian and Janice Donoff, were enjoying a magic show when the lights went off followed by an "incredible noise of scraping", and people started rushing out of the auditorium. | |
| They climbed out on to the side of the stricken vessel after lifeboats failed to release. | |
| They were eventually lowered down a rope ladder to awaiting life rafts. | |
| "It's the most frightening thing coming down on a rope ladder by the whole side of the ship clutching on for dear life... it was an unbelievable ordeal," said Mr Donoff. | |
| Another survivor, John Rodford, criticised staff on the ship for giving him and his wife incorrect information. | |
| "They said 'No, it's all right, it's just a malfunction in the engines'," he told Sky News. | |
| "Then it started tilting the other way and the plates came off the tables. | |
| "The people who served us our dinner were the people who helped us get on the lifeboats and were manning the lifeboats. I didn't see captains' jackets and things like that." | |
| Were you on the cruise ship? Do you have friends and family on the ship? Are you on the island of Giglio? Did you witness the accident? You can send your comments to the BBC using the form below: | Were you on the cruise ship? Do you have friends and family on the ship? Are you on the island of Giglio? Did you witness the accident? You can send your comments to the BBC using the form below: |
| Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. | Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. |
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