This Article is From Jan 19, 2012

Italy cruise tragedy: 200 Indians returning home

Italy cruise tragedy: 200 Indians returning home
New Delhi: Two hundred Indian nationals, who were rescued from the ill-fated cruize ship 'Costa Concordia' which had run aground off Italy coast on Saturday, are returning to India.

"200 Indian nationals rescued from Costa Concordia will return on Wednesday and Thursday," said officials from the External Affairs Ministry yesterday.

There were a total of 203 Indians were on board the luxury cruise ship - one passenger and 202 crew members. Of them, 201 Indians were rescued and one is missing. After the rescue, one Indian is staying back.

The ministry has also set up help desks at the airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad, they said.

The luxury liner, Costa Concordia, was carrying more than 4,200 people, many of whom were having dinner at the restaurant when it hit a reef or rock near the Tuscan island of Giglio.

While 60 persons were injured in the incident, 15 persons, including crew and passengers, were still unaccounted for.
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