The Costa Concordia captain claims he hit uncharted rocks. As this story suggests, these waters are well known and it would seem patently absurd the ship hit anything uncharted. There will be physical evidence of the Costa Concordia's collision on the rocks which will conclusively establish that what sank the ship was on the charts. As noted in the news report, there will surely be criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits against Carnival Cruise lines and its affiliate together with the Captain, Francesco Schettino, to achieve some level of justice for what may turn out to be criminally negligent conduct.
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CNN.com | Did this cause cruise disaster? Dan River reporting.
Dan River: With an open gash running the length of her port side, the Costa Concordia looks like it’s been gutted by a giant fisherman’s blade. The cruise liner is lying furlongly on the shore of Isola del Giglio dwarfing the town behind it.
We were taken on a tour of the wreck by local diver, Aldo Baffigi, and shown a reef he thinks the Costa hit; one he swears is on every chart.
Aldo Baffigi: There’s not one rock over here that is not on the chart.
Dan River: Every rock here is on the chart?
Aldo Baffigi: Every one, every one. That’s why I think should be… the only possibility should be only THAT one.
Dan River: He’s planning to dive to see if there are traces of paint on the reef from the ship’s hull. But the ship’s captain, who could face criminal charges, insists he wasn’t too close.
Francesco Schettino: My nautical chart… it was marked just as water at some 100-150 meters from the rocks, and we were about 300 meters from the shore, more or less. We shouldn’t have had this contact.
Dan River: But officials running the rescue operation disagree, suggesting the ship came too close as the crew wanted to waive to friends ashore.
Capt. Cosimo Nicastro: We know that the ship was close to the island.
Dan River: Too close to the island?
Capt. Cosimo Nicastro: Yes.
Dan River: As the frantic search for survivors goes on behind me, a picture is emerging of the chaos on board the Costa Concordia as panic spread through the passengers who were desperately trying to scramble ashore.
The ship’s U.S. owner, Carnival Corporation, says it’s still trying to figure out what led to the accident.
This was what it was like in the dark, cold chaos as passengers fled the Costa Concordia in lifejackets battling against gravity to get out.
Francesa Sinatra: The life boats weren’t upside down. They were actually slanted, and that made it hard to get on them because of that.
Dan River: These photos were taken by American passengers, Amanda and Brandon Warrick, as they tried to escape.
Brandon Warrick: We were one of the last ones…pretty much the chaos happened for everybody to get on the lifeboats first. And, uh, we…I mean, more less, we just didn’t get there early enough for whatever…it was just so crowded and there was no room for us. And, umm, yeah, we just ended up waiting, the last, maybe, few people. We were just holding on to the railing trying not to fall.
Dan River: Korean honeymooners, Jung Kideok and Kideok Hanmarito, were rescued after more than 24 hours trapped aboard.
Jung Kideok: At first, we were very scared, and as time went by, our fear grew and grew. We lived with the hope of being able to survive this ugly thing, and above all, with the strength of being near the one you love. We did not get hurt.
Dan River: Even though the search and rescue operation isn’t over, already it’s clear this accident will result in litigation and criminal prosecutions. The death toll remains uncertain with passengers still missing. Now, everyone is wondering how on earth this massive ship came so close to this treacherous shore and how many more bodies will be recovered from the wreck of the Costa Concordia. Dan Rivers, CNN, Isola del Giglio, Italy.
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