Captain tests negative for drugs

Italian navy divers blew open access points in the wreck of the Costa Concordia yesterday as rescuers debated whether to call off their search for at least 19 missing people.

Italian media reported that the liner's captain, Francesco Schettino, who faces charges of multiple manslaughter, had tested negative for drugs. Schettino's lawyer said there could be other suspects.

The captain claimed the risky route he took close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in a showboating manoeuvre was agreed on beforehand with superiors.

He has also said he kept a crisis officer informed about the scale of the disaster within minutes of hitting the rock, while the order to abandon ship was given more than an hour later.