Italian officials today released an audio recording made shortly after a massive cruise ship ran aground Friday, and in it, the ship's captain can be heard making excuses as he's ordered to return to the sinking ship. The release of the tape comes the same day that Italian authorities raised the official death toll from the disaster to 11. An American couple is among approximately two dozen people still unaccounted for. The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, claims he stayed aboard the 4,200-passenger cruise liner until it was evacuated. In the new recording, however, an exasperated Italian coast guard commander is heard repeatedly ordering Schettino to return to the ship while he makes excuses. Coast guard officials say Schettino abandoned the ship up to three hours before it was evacuated. They have said the captain is responsible for the grounding, alleging that he deviated from the cruise's planned course before it smashed into rocks off the Tuscany coast. Schettino has been placed under house arrest and officials say he may face charges that include manslaughter, shipwreck and abandoning a ship while passengers are aboard. He could face up to 12 years in prison for the abandoning ship charge alone.Italian cruise line blames captain for deadly disasterDivers in Italy ship wreck find 2 more bodies