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Costa Concordia Death Toll Reaches 13
On the 13th January 2012, the Costa Concordia, a luxury cruise ship operated by Costa Cruises, partially sank off the western coast of Italy. The ship was sailing off the Isola del Giglio and hit a reef that ripped open the side of the hull, echoing the famous Titanic tragedy of 1912.
4,197 people were evacuated, and the death toll currently lies at 13. 64 others were injured, three with serious injuries. About 20 people are still missing.
The cruise ship sailed off-course through a seabed littered with reef and rock, with only 300 yards separating it from the shore. Costa Cruises have confirmed that the route was “not a defined route for passing Giglio” and Francesco Schettino, the Captain, has been blamed for the wreckage as investigations cite ‘significant human error’ as the cause.
He is thought to have been attempting a ‘sail-past’, where a boat sails close to shore in order to sound the horn to people on land. He struck rocks that he states were ‘not on the chart’, but recent reports show that the proven impact point was in fact a charted rock, 95 meters long and named ‘La Scole’.
In an attempt to gain control over the damaged ship and head to the harbour, Schettino turned the vessel, shifting the centre of gravity and causing the ship to tip sideways, coming to rest on a bed of rock. According to BBC reports, this made normal lifeboat evacuation procedures almost impossible.
Passengers were forced to create a human ladder and crawl down the side of the ship to waiting lifeboats and rescuers. Others were plucked from the sea by helicopters after jumping.
Schettino, labeled Captain Coward by passengers and the media after he abandoned ship shortly after the collision, said: “I only left because I fell into the lifeboat when the ship listed suddenly, I was trying to help.”
There are many issues now surrounding the stranded ship. As it is resting perilously on a ledge of rock, there are concerns that a large wave could shift it and send it to the bottom of the sea, meaning that all remaining missing people could be lost. There are also ecological worries, as the ship’s tanks contain 2,280 tonnes of heavy-duty diesel. The ship is in a protected sea sanctuary for whales and other endangered animals and a leak could cause further crisis.
Captain Roberto Bosi, the off-duty command who gave the order to abandon ship condemned Schettino’s actions, stating: “Only a disgraceful man would have left all those passengers on board.”
Francesco Schettino has now been stripped of his command and has been ordered to undergo a drug test. He has been released from prison and is currently under house arrest for manslaughter.