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Captain with young woman when cruise liner ran aground

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A young woman from Moldova is said to have been in the command quarters with Captain Francesco Schettino last Friday night when the Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia ran aground killing at least 11 people, local reports said Thursday.

Italian Navy divers approach the partially submerged Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia that ran aground off the west coast of Italy, at the Tuscan island of Giglio, Jan. 17, 2012. Navy divers set off explosives Tuesday to create small openings in the hull of the cruise liner to speed the search for the 29 missing passengers and crew. [Wang Qingqin/Xinhua]

In a television interview in her native country, Domnica Cemortan, 25, said she was with Schettino when the vessel ran aground off the west coast of Italy at Giglio island, claiming her friend did an "extraordinary" job during the rescue operation.

The Moldovan said that in the past, she had been a crew member of Costa Cruises, the company which operated the vessel.

Later on Thursday, a statement from the company said she was an authorized passenger, after local reports speculated on her not appearing on any official manifest for the vessel.

Schettino was put under house arrest after being detained on charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship. A phone conversation recorded between the 52-year-old captain and the local port authority suggested he left the ship before all passengers had evacuated.

According to Italian authorities, 11 people are confirmed dead and 22 still missing days after the cruise liner crashed into rocks at the beginning of a Mediterranean cruise with over 4,200 passengers onboard.

On Thursday, rescue operations have resumed on the capsized vessel, which is lying on its side in shallow waters near Giglio Island, 25 km off the Tuscany coast, after the search was suspended Wednesday when the ship shifted its position.

However, the chances of finding other survivors from the wreck are growing slimmer, experts said.

There are now fears that sea storms forecast for the archipelago in the next hours may push the Costa Concordia, which is positioned near an escarpment, into deeper water, further damaging the vessel and perhaps causing fuel leaks.

A specialist team from the Dutch salvage company SMIT is preparing to pump 2,400 tons of fuel from the ship's tanks, which will last for several weeks, according to local authorities.