'Mutiny' as liner captain hesitated

Junior officers on the Costa Concordia cruise liner led a "mutiny" and took over evacuation procedures after the captain Francesco Schettino dithered in giving the order to abandon ship.

According to coastguard and port authorities, Mr Schettino did not give the crucial instructions until 10.58pm on Friday, more than one hour after the ship hit rocks off the Italian coast near the island of Giglio.

Officials say that during those chaotic minutes it was his junior officers who realised the seriousness of the situation and ordered passengers and crew to the lifeboats. Proof of the "mutiny" came from coastguard vessels at the scene, who reported seeing several lifeboats in the water before the captain had officially given the order.

Italian authorities believe the fact that so many lifeboats were seen in the water just 10 minutes after the captain had ordered them to be launched is proof that they had already been lowered before his command.

A coastguard source said: "That's why we believe that once the ship had started to list, crew members realised the seriousness of the situation and ordered passengers to the lifeboats." This afternoon there were reports of five more bodies being found inside the vessel.