Italian liner passengers to get 11,000 euros each

Passengers of a stricken Italian cruise liner will get at least 11,000 euros each from its Costa Crociere operator under a deal struck after the January 13 disaster, a consumer group said Friday. "This deal concerns some 3,000 passengers from 60 countries, including some 900 Italians," Adoc, one of several consumer advocacy groups that negotiated the agreement, said in a statement. "We think around 85 percent of them will agree to this deal," it added. Even children who were travelling for free will get 11,000 euros ($14,400) each, Adoc said. Passengers will also be reimbursed for the cost of the cruise, estimated at some 3,000 euros each, as well as any travel and medical expenses they incurred after the disaster, it said. The agreement does not concern those who were injured or who lost loved ones, Adoc said. "It's a landmark agreement to bring an end to a tragic affair," said Adoc president Carlo Pileri. "It's a democratic agreement that does not distinguish between social classes or countries of origin." The Costa Concordia had 4,229 people aboard including about 1,000 personnel when it ran aground near Giglio, a picturesque island off of Tuscany that is part of a nature reserve. The known death toll is 16, with another 16 still missing.