A
cruise liner ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan coast and the
captain has been accused of abandoning ship before everyone was safely
evacuated and showing off when he steered the vessel far too close to
shore. Yesterday, scuba divers retrieved the bodies of two men from the
submerged lower levels of shipwrecked Costa Concordia, bringing to five
the number of victims in the accident off Italy’s Tuscan coast. The
cruise ship ran aground Friday night, sending more than its 4,000
passengers and crew scrambling. Five people were confirmed dead and at
least 15 people were still missing yesterday. Authorities are
investigating the ship’s Italian captain, who is being held for
suspected manslaughter, for abandoning ship and causing a shipwreck. The
ship’s Italian owner, a subsidiary of Carnival Cruise lines, issued a
statement saying there appeared to be “significant human error” on the
part of the captain, Francesco Schettino, “which resulted in these grave
consequences.” A French couple said they saw the captain in a lifeboat,
covered by a blanket, well before all the passengers were off the ship.
Coast Guard officers later spotted Schettino on land as the evacuation
unfolded. The officers urged him to return to his ship and honor his
duty to stay aboard until everyone was safely off the vessel, but he
ignored them, Coast Guard Cmdr. Francesco Paolillo said. Questions also
swirled about why the ship had navigated so close to the dangerous reefs
and rocks that jut off Giglio’s eastern coast, amid suspicions the
captain may have ventured too close while carrying out a maneuver to
entertain tourists on the island. Residents of Giglio said they had
never seen the Costa come so close to the dangerous “Le Scole” reef
area. The ship was a mere 150 yards from shore at the time of the
grounding, officials said.
