Italian authorities say they are unsure of the whereabouts of nearly a hundred people reported to have been among those on board the ferry ravaged by fire in the Adriatic on Sunday.
Italian prosecutor Giuseppe Volpe - who is investigating the tragedy in which 13 people are confirmed to have died - said many other people were still unaccounted for after the accident.
"There are 98 people of whom there is still no news," he said on Wednesday.
He said the whereabouts of a freighter, which had helped in the rescue after the fire on the ferry Norman Atlantic, was unknown.
The previous day, Volpe had spoken of more than 170 people being taken from the scene of the ferry disaster on different ships to various ports.
The rescue mission was hampered by rough seas, heavy rain and gale-force winds. It took some 36 hours for rescuers responding with boats and helicopters to complete the evacuation of the ferry.
But the authorities have said they fear more bodies will likely be found in the wreckage of the ship, which was carrying more than 400 people.
The Norman Atlantic, which was being operated by a Greek shipping line, was disabled when the fire erupted near the Greek island of Corfu. It was en route to the northern Italian port of Ancona from the Greek port of Patras.
On Tuesday, Volpe ordered the ferry be towed to Brindisi in southern Italy, but that operation is being hampered by bad weather.
The authorities in Brindisi - where many of the shipwreck survivors have been taken - said they had postponed a New Year fireworks display and concert until January 4 as a mark of respect.
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