Costa Concordia captain placed under house arrest

The captain of the Costa Concordia cruise line which sunk off the coast of Italy on Friday, was placed under house arrest after an Italian judge allowed him to leave jail. The Associated Press reported that the judge turned down the prosecutors' request to keep Schettino in jail, but also refused to set him free.

Prosecutors alleged that Schettino refused to re-board the vessel when asked to do so by the Italian coastguard.

According to transcripts of radio calls and telephone conversations published by Italian newspapers, Schettino was ordered by the coastguard to return to the stricken ship after claiming that the evacuation was almost complete when it had scarcely begun.

The death toll from the tragic incident rose to 11, after five more bodies were found on the Costa Concordia wreck. The latest victims are four men and a woman, all in their 50's and 60's. They were found together at the front of the sunken cruise ship, below the waterline.