French prosecutors have launched an investigation into the cause of last month's Costa Concordia cruise ship grounding off the coast of Italy.
The Paris prosecutor's office said Thursday that it has asked police to question French survivors to establish criminal liability and establish psychological damage caused by the accident.
More than 450 French people were on board the Costa Concordia when it ran aground January 13 off the coast of the Tuscan island of Giglio. Seventeen people, including four French citizens, were killed in the shipwreck. Some 15 people, including two French, are missing and presumed dead.
The cruise line has offered $14,000 in compensation to each survivor. But many in France and elsewhere have rejected the deal.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
