More deaths feared after ship hits Genoa control tower

Four people were taken to hospital, but others are feared to be still trapped inside the crippled tower. Whether mechanical failure or human error caused the crash is still unknown.

“It’s a terrible tragedy. We’re in turmoil, speechless,” Port Authority President Luigi Merlo told local TV and the vessel’s owner Stefano Messina, who arrived at the port soon after the crash told journalists: “We are all utterly shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened before, we are desperate.”

The ship was manoeuvering out of the port with the help of tugboats in calm conditions, reports said.