Cruise ship runs aground off Italy; deaths reported

[apples]

http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/13/10152446-cruise-ship-runs-aground-off-italy-deaths-reported

A cruise ship with up to 4,000 people on board ran aground on the island of Giglio, off the Tuscan coast, on Friday night, and UK media reported that at least two people died.

The Telegraph said some passengers jumped from the steeply listing Costa Concordia and swam a short distance to the island. A photo in the Telegraph showed the brightly lit ship teetering just outside a harbor wall.



Sky News quoted passenger Luciano Castro as telling Italian media: ''We were having dinner when all of a sudden the lights went out. It seemed as if the ship struck something and then we heard a load bang and everything fell to the floor.

''The captain immediately came on the tanoy and said that there had been an electrical fault but it seemed very strange as the ship almost immediately began to list to one side. The glasses just slid off the table."

TwitPic @cruiseshipcrew

The Costa Concordia listing after running aground off the coast of Italy late Friday.

[JohnBrowdie]

That isn't just running aground, that is running aground at speed.   There is something badly amiss here.  This is actually very hard to do. 

[JohnBrowdie]

I think its going to turn out that the ship hit something farther off shore, it tore a hole in the hull, and the captain ran for shallow water.   he may have even run aground on purpose -- hard to sink if you are already sitting on the bottom.  

I knew something was wrong when I saw the lighthouse in the picture, and the ship listing.  That's just really, really unusual.  

[apples]

I think its going to turn out that the ship hit something farther off shore, it tore a hole in the hull, and the captain ran for shallow water.   he may have even run aground on purpose -- hard to sink if you are already sitting on the bottom.  

I knew something was wrong when I saw the lighthouse in the picture, and the ship listing.  That's just really, really unusual.  

yeah the lighthouse would be a issue i would think!!!!

[apples]

Sorry I had to be funny. 

[Vonne]

I think its going to turn out that the ship hit something farther off shore, it tore a hole in the hull, and the captain ran for shallow water.   he may have even run aground on purpose -- hard to sink if you are already sitting on the bottom.

From the updates through the morning, the latest reports, and pictures we're seeing now... I think you're absolutely right.  It's the most logical and reasonable explanation.

Prayers for the families of those lost and injured in this tragic ordeal.

[apples]

'I saw captain drinking in the bar': Passengers accuse arrested officer of socialising before cruise crash and being among first to abandon ship
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2086881/Costa-Concordia-captain-Francesco-Schettino-officer-Ciro-Ambrosio-arrested.html

Captain Held After Cruise Ship Capsizes
http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16148897

'Forget women and children first, it was every man for himself': Cruise liner survivors describe nightmare scenes as people fought to escape sinking ship
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2086928/Costa-Concordia-Sinking-cruise-ship-survivors-nightmare-scenes.html

[JohnBrowdie]

The ship hit the rocks so hard that a bus sized chunk of it is still lodged inside of it.

[Vonne]

It's pretty messed up seeing some of the videos out there, where even the crew was stating on tv that they didn't know what to do, had no direction, and NO EVACUATION TRAINING.

...Seeing that the Captain made sure he was one of the first ones off, I hope he's one of the first ones to jail.

I'm still curious why they were more than 4 miles off the designated shipping channel in that area.  There are conflicting reports now, that cruise ships regularly 'buzzed' the island and blast fog horns as a salute to the island and many ship captains who retired there. 

[Stan In FL]

It's not everyday you see a billion dollar scrap pile.   Holy crap!

[Vonne]

It's not everyday you see a billion dollar scrap pile.   Holy crap!

Indeed!  Even with insurance, I find it hard to believe that this will only effect Carnival cruise lines the possible $90 million that's being reported in the news.

Italian news outlets are have now mentioned that the Italian Coast Guard requested the captain return to this ship to assist with the evacuation they were performing... and he refused!

[apples]

Captain of capsized cruise liner reportedly sailed close to island to please head waiter
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/15/third-person-found-alive-after-search-for-survivors-deadly-shipwreck-resumes/

The captain of a capsized cruise liner reportedly sailed the ship close to the rocky shores of Giglio to please his head waiter who comes from the island, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported Monday.

Officials and witnesses said earlier that the disaster may have been caused by a risky practice of close-passing the island of Giglio in a foghorn-blasting salute to the local population.  A state of emergency has reportedly been declared in Italy after an unidentified liquid began leaking from the Costa Concordia.

Sky News reports that protective barriers have been put in place around the ship, citing Italy's environment minister. The state of emergency declaration is to formally release funds to address the ongoing situation as anti-spill booms have been deployed to minimize potential safety risks.

An earlier estimate of 16 passengers missing was revised upward, to 29 missing, late Monday night by the Italian coast guard.

The rescue operation on the cruise liner resumed Monday afternoon after a brief suspension, as fears grew for the people -- including an American couple and a 5-year-old child -- who remained missing.

The Costa Concordia, which crashed Friday killing six and injuring at least 42, moved 3.5 inches vertically and 0.6 inches horizontally from where it was stranded, due to rough seas, prompting search teams and divers to be evacuated Monday morning, Sky Italia TG24 reported.

Three bodies were recovered and 4,200 people evacuated after the luxury cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Tuscany, sending water pouring through a 160-foot gash in the hull. Passengers complained the crew failed to give evacuation instructions and that a drill was only scheduled for this afternoon. Authorities still hadn't counted all the survivors, the Associated Press reported.

[Vonne]

00:32am
The port authority asks the captain, Francesco Schettino, how many people are left on board. He says 200-300, therefore claiming unrealistically that 4,000 people were evacuated in only 40 minutes. It quickly becomes clear he has already abandoned ship.

Schettino: "Now I'll go back up", he claims. "I came out to check out to figure out what was happening."

PA (Port Authority):"Will you be the last on board?"

Schsttino:"I will be the last on board"

00:42am
PA asks how many people still need to be evacuated.

Schettino:"I called and they told me there are about 100 people. I am coordinating the operations. But I can't go back on it. We have abandoned the ship."

PA:"Captain, did you really abandon the ship??"

Schettino:"No, no, I am here, I am coordinating the evacuation."

PA:"Captain, this is an order, now I am in charge. Get back on that ship and coordinate the operations. There are already casualties."

Schettino:"How many?"

PA:"You should tell me that! What do you want to do, go home? Now you get back on that ship and tell us what can be done, how many people are still there and what do they need."

Schettino:"Ok, OK, I am going."

(The captain will not get back on the ship)

MSNBC NEWS

 

[JohnBrowdie]

I hope the captain likes it in prison.  he will blow more than ship's whistles as favors for friends

[apples]

More bodies recovered from stricken cruise ship
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/17/world/europe/italy-cruise-main/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Giglio, Italy (CNN) -- Rescue workers recovered five bodies from the wreckage of the Costa Concordia cruise ship Tuesday, according to Italian officials, bringing to at least 11 the number of people known to have died in the disaster.

The five bodies were found after Italian Navy divers blasted holes in the ship's hull to provide rescue divers with better access to the ship's interior, but it was unclear if those efforts led to the discoveries.

With nearly two dozen people still reported missing from the ship, which is lying on its side in the Tuscan waters off Giglio, Italy, a judge ordered its captain held pending a later decision on whether he should be released.

Capt. Francesco Schettino, is under arrest and may face charges that include manslaughter, shipwreck, and abandoning a ship when passengers were still on board, chief prosecutor Francesco Verusio said.