ATHENS, April 14 (Reuters) - A submarine robot retrieved the data recorder of a cruise ship which sank off the port of the Greek island of Santorini last week, an official said on Saturday.

More than 1,500 passengers and crew were evacuated but a French tourist and his daughter are missing and feared drowned.

"The submarine robot took the data recorder out of the sea earlier today," Merchant Marine Ministry spokesman Andreas Theofilou told Reuters.

The "black box" may provide clues to why the 22,412-tonne Sea Diamond, run by Louis Cruise Lines, hit a reef close to the scenic island, one of Greece's most popular tourist spots, and sank the next day.

Two submarine robots had been trying to retrieve the box from the bridge of the sunken cruise liner since Friday.

Louis Cruise Lines said there had been 730 Americans, 112 Spaniards, 100 French and many other foreigners on board, including Germans, Britons and Australians.

Authorities were also struggling to contain pollution. Special cleaning vessels have been battling an oil spill and some 410 tonnes of water mixed with oil have been collected.

The cruise company has attributed the sinking to human error, without naming a culprit. A Greek prosecutor charged the captain and five other crew with negligence. If found guilty, the crew probably face suspended prison sentences.

The Greek government has come under criticism after they initialled declared the evacuation operation a success, only for the ship to then sink and for two passengers to be reported missing.

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