Family Says White Bear Lake Couple Still Missing In Ship Disaster

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The family of an American couple missing in last week's Italian cruise shipwreck says the pair is still unaccounted for.

But the children of Jerry and Barbara Heil of White Bear Lake, Minnesota say they continue to be "overwhelmed" by all that the U.S. Embassy in Italy and the Italian authorities have done in searching for the missing passengers.

In a blog posting Friday, the Heils' children say family members in Italy have seen Italian searchers "work tirelessly and around the clock" to continue the search as conditions allow.

The Heils are the only Americans among the 21 missing passengers. Eleven people are confirmed dead. Members of the Heil family say they continue to pray that rescuers remain safe and that all of the missing can be found.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved)