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Costa Fascinosa leaves Tunis with 13 passengers missing

Costa Fascinosa leaves Tunis with 13 passengers missing
Update: Thirteen passengers were still missing from Costa Fascinosa when the ship sailed from Tunis at 1:55 a.m., Costa Crociere said in a statement. Twelve care team members and two Costa headquarters directors are in Tunis to liaise with the local authorities and three additional care team members are to arrive Thursday morning. Costa Fascinosa and MSC Splendida had passengers on excursions in Tunis Wednesday when gunmen killed 19 people at the Bardo Museum. Both ships immediately recalled all their tours. The ships' departures were postponed, and local security officials beefed up security at the port of La Goulette and around the vessels.

MSC Cruises said some MSC Splendida passengers were on tours that included the museum. The ship is carrying 3,714 passengers and 1,267 crew members. Wednesday night MSC awaited the return of all passengers to the ship but confirmed all US and Canadian citizens are accounted for and were safely back on board.

In an 11 p.m. update, Costa Cruises said the captain of Costa Fascinosa reported 14 passengers still had not come back to the ship, which is carrying 3,161 passengers. The line said Costa Fascinosa was planning to depart shortly after midnight, pending clearance.

Both companies are in touch with local security officials, their port agent and the relevant national and international authorities. Costa and MSC also have care teams in Tunis to provide assistance to all passengers and their relatives.