Salvage crews searched Monday for bodies in the River Thames and in a pleasure boat that sank in a late-night collision with a barge. Police said at least 27 people were killed.

Eighty-four people survived the accident early Sunday under Southwark Bridge in the heart of London, but authorities were uncertain exactly how many were aboard the privately chartered Marchioness, setting for the 26th birthday party of businessman Antonio Vasconcellos. He is among the missing.Police detained the captain and second mate of the Bowbelle sand-and-gravel dredger and released them overnight. Police said they would be questioned again Monday.

"We are looking at offenses such as possible unlawful killing and any related offenses," said a police spokeswoman on condition of anonymity. Unlawful killing is a British charge similar to manslaughter.

Authorities also examined taped radio messages to river navigators for clues into the cause of the accident.

The Independent, a London daily, reported an apparent disagreement between the captains of the 90-ton Marchioness and the 1,475-ton Bowbelle over which vessel should pass first under the bridge's central span.

The paper also quoted a veteran crewman as saying the Bowbelle rammed another Thames passenger boat five years ago and nearly sank it. The Thames is one of the world's busiest commercial rivers, used by more than 32,000 vessels each year.

Police still were unsure Monday how many people were on board when the pleasure boat was struck in the rear and run over by the Bowbelle while on a five-hour overnight cruise. Police said Monday that 25 launches were scouring the Thames for bodies.

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As the tide dropped Monday, the hull of the 85-foot Marchioness became fully visible, resting on a mudbank with its top deck sheared off and its dance floor exposed. Crews had pulled the boat there from the center of the river where it sank.

One launch brought families of some victims to the scene to drop flowers on the water.

Police said Sunday that the boat, which did not have a passenger roster, was licensed to carry 149 passengers and two crew. They said the death toll could be up to 60, which combined with the 84 known survivors would put the total number aboard as high as 144.

But Monday, police backed off any specific number, saying, "It's not known how many are still missing."

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