2 French Victims of Italy Cruise Disaster Identified

Two of the 11 victims recovered from the wreck of an Italian cruise ship in Tuscany were French nationals -- a man and a woman, the crisis unit overseeing rescue operations said on Thursday.

A representative of the French embassy in Rome confirmed the report, saying family members had identified the bodies.

The prefect's office released the names of the victims -- Pierre Gregoire and Jeanne Gannard.

Two other French nationals -- two men who apparently drowned when they jumped into the sea to escape the ship as it keeled over last Friday -- were among the first bodies to be recovered by rescuers.

Two more French citizens are still not accounted for.

The foreign ministry in Paris said it was aiding the families affected by the tragedy and was in close contact with Italian authorities.