In the latest search efforts at Costa Concordia, 16 bodies have been recovered, with another 16 still missing. Officials expect to begin pumping thousands of gallons of diesel fuel from the ship on Saturday; that effort could take up to a month.
On the legal front, Costa and Italian consumer groups have apparently negotiated a deal that will apply for 3,206 uninjured Costa Concordia the ill-fated Jan. 13 cruise; the payment is about $14,500 per person. The offer is compensation for personal possessions and baggage lost onboard and any psychological trauma.
It does not apply for those who lost a spouse or family member in the accident or for passengers hurt in the accident; those passengers will be dealt with separately. The deal also does not apply to crew members.
Costa has previously said that all passengers on the ship will receive a full cruise refund and reimbursement for travel and media expenses after the accident.
In terms of the deal announced with the consumer groups, passengers are free to turn down the deal and take legal action on their own.