Captain ‘guilty of human error’
Francesco Schettino was reportedly being questioned by Italian prosecutors on suspicion of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship, after five people were killed in the cruising tragedy off the Tuscan coast on Friday night.
Costa Cruises, the luxury ship’s owners, issued a statement calling into question Capt Schettino’s judgment.
It said: “We are working with investigators to find out precisely what went wrong aboard the Costa Concordia.
It added: “The route of the vessel appears to have been too close to the shore, and the captain’s judgment in handling the emergency appears to have not followed standard Costa procedures.”
The owners added: “We are aware that the lead prosecutor has levelled serious accusations against the ship’s Captain, who joined Costa Crociere in 2002 as a Safety Officer and was appointed Captain in 2006, after acting as Staff Captain as well.
“As all Costa Masters, he has been constantly trained passing all tests.”
The company paid tribute to its staff, applauding them for their work in helping evacuate 4,200 passengers and crew from the listing vessel.
The statement went on: “We at Costa Cruises are deeply saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts and prayers go out to everyone affected and offer the determined victims’ families her heartfelt condolences.
“We are working closely with the authorities to support ongoing search and rescue operations, and are focusing on ensuring that all guests and crew members return home safely.”
It added: “As we are learning more about the event itself and the evacuation, however, it is becoming clear that the crew of the Costa Concordia acted bravely and swiftly to help evacuate more than 4,000 individuals during a very challenging situation.
“We are very grateful for all they have done.
“Costa is committed to ensuring that no such incident ever occurs again.”
Coastguard divers searching the submerged part of the stricken cruise ship yesterday found the bodies of two elderly men still in their life jackets, authorities said.
The discovery raised the death toll to five.
Divers discovered the bodies at the emergency gathering point near the restaurant where passengers were dining when the ship hit a reef or rock near the island of Giglio, Coast Guard Commander Cosimo Nicastro said.
The discovery reduced to 15 the number of people still unaccounted for after an Italian who worked in cabin service was pulled from the wreckage earlier yesterday and a South Korean couple on their honeymoon were rescued in the unsubmerged part of the liner when a team of rescuers heard their screams.
“We are still searching” for any bodies, “but [also] in the hope that there might have been an air pocket” to allow the survival of others, Nicastro told Sky TG24 TV dockside.
The chaotic evacuation has added to the difficulty in tracking down survivors — with six of those unaccounted for crew members and the others passengers.
Two of the unaccounted for passengers are American, the US Embassy in Rome said.
The divers’ search through the ship, which is lying on its side with a huge gash, was already dangerous because of the risk the vessel could suddenly move and sink into waters over a nearby lower sea bed.
Their safety was increasingly threatened by floating objects in the belly of the 1,000 foot long liner, as well as muck drastically reducing visibility, Nicastro said. “There are tents, mattresses, other objects moving which can get tangled in the divers’ equipment,” he said.
Officials were going to decide how long the underwater search could safely continue, he added.
Coastguard spokesman Capt Filippo Marini told Sky Italia TV divers have recovered the so-called “black box” with the recording of the navigational details from a compartment now under water. A Dutch firm has been called in to help extract fuel from the ship’s tanks before any leaks into the area’s pristine waters.
While Costa has insisted the liner was following the same route it takes every week between the Italian ports of Civitavecchia and Savona, residents on Giglio said they had never seen it come so close to the Le Scole reefs and rocks that jut from Giglio’s eastern side. &
SINGER Amelia Leon, 22, from Birmingham, only joined the ship a week ago to spend time with her boyfriend, ship’s engineer Claudio Losito, 27.
Amazingly, Amelia’s ancestors include one of the violinists who carried on playing when the Titanic sank 100 years ago this April.
She tells of her experience:
“In the corridors everyone was pushing everyone else. I saw babies screaming and parents desperately trying to keep them calm. I was just in my pyjamas and coat.
“One of the crew was dragging at a barrier to get us on the lifeboat and it hit him in the face. He was bleeding badly. Everyone was so confused.”
— Paul Cole
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