Salvage work is expected to begin on the stranded Costa Concordia in the next few hours after the search for survivors was called off.

A total of 11 people are known to have died when the vessel capsized off the coast of Isola del Giglio, Italy, on Friday afternoon.

Another 23 people are still missing, with rescue efforts called off earlier as the ship slipped further into the water.

A Dutch salvage company SMIT is preparing to pump more than 2,300 tonnes of fuel from the stricken vessel once the search for survivors has been officially halted.

The process may take up to a month.

Some 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew were on board the vessel when it hit rocks on Friday.

It had left the port of Civitavecchia for a week-long Mediterranean cruise just hours earlier.