FILE: Second anniversary of Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster marked

Record ID: 627216

  • Title: FILE: Second anniversary of Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster marked
  • Date: 12th January 2014
  • Summary: GIGLIO, ITALY (FILE - SEPTEMBER 17, 2013) (REUTERS) COSTA CONCORDIA WRECK AND SALVAGE STRUCTURES BY ROCKS DAMAGE ON SIDE OF CONCORDIA WRECK WHICH WAS SUBMERGED
  • Embargoed: 27th January 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVAAKZ8FMQ043QRQB9S09LO88P8I
  • Story Text: At 21:42 pm (2042GMT) of the evening of January 13, 2012, the 114,500- tonne luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia capsized and sank after approaching the Tuscan island of Giglio to perform a manoeuvre close to the shore.
    The huge ship struck a rock which tore a 35 metre-long gash in its hull and capsized soon afterwards.
    Thirty-two people lost their lives during a chaotic night-time evacuation of some 4,200 passengers and crew.
    The ships' captain Francesco Schettino is accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship.
    The cruise liner hit rocks after Schettino tried to perform a manoeuvre known as a "salute" - an attempt to show passengers the island and islanders the ship.
    Schettino argues he managed to prevent a worse disaster by steering into shallow waters even closer to shore after the impact to facilitate the rescue operation.
    He has admitted making mistakes but says he should not be the only person blamed.
    Schettino is the only person on trial after four crew members and an official of the ship operator Costa Cruises, a division of Carnival Corp, were sentenced to terms of up to 34 months in prison after pleading guilty.
    Schettino's trial is being held in a specially adapted theatre in the Tuscan city of Grosseto due to the global media interest.
    In Giglio, salvage workers in September carried out a successful operation to raise the Concordia, which had been lying on its side near the rocky shores of the island.
    The ship is due to be towed away from the Mediterranean holiday island in the spring and broken up into scrap.
    Giglio islanders were preparing to commemorate the second anniversary of the Costa Concordia tragedy with a mass and a candlelit procession, to be held on Monday (January 13).
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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