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Family Says Minn. Pair Still Missing In Italian Ship Disaster

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The family of an American couple missing in last week's Italian cruise ship wreck say the pair is still unaccounted for.

But the children of Jerry and Barbara Heil of White Bear Lake, Minn., 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 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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