Captain charged with negligence

The captain of a cruise ship that sank in the Aegean Sea, sending more than 1,500 passengers and crew members onto rescue boats, was charged with causing a shipwreck through negligence.

The 469-foot Sea Diamond hit a well-marked and charted reef Thursday in fair weather in the sea-filled volcanic crater at the Greek island of Santorini.

The ship’s Greek captain was also charged with breaching international shipping safety regulations and polluting the environment, officials said. Five officers were questioned, but officials were unable to confirm a state TV report that they also had been charged.

The ship was carrying 1,154 tourists, most from the U.S., and 391 crew members. A French man and his 16-year-old daughter are missing.