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REUTERS
The Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off the west coast of Italy is seen at Giglio island.
The skipper of the Costa Concordia has claimed he abandoned ship after he “fell into a lifeboat”.
“Captain Coward” Francesco Schettino said he had no choice but to desert the £400 million liner and its thousands of passengers when it came to grief after hitting rocks.
Schettino, 52, has been released from prison and placed under house arrest after being held since Friday night’s disaster on suspicion of manslaughter, abandoning ship and causing shipwreck. If convicted, he could face 15 years in jail.
Last night, he and his wife Fabiola were inside their £175 000 apartment in the beautiful town of Meta di Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast after he arrived home in the early hours of Wednesday.
His release came as divers suspended their search of the Concordia on Wednesday when the partially submerged vessel started to slip from the rocks on which it has been precariously resting since running aground off the island of Giglio.
The death toll remained at 11 last night but the number of those missing was cut from 22 to 21 after a German woman on the list was found to have returned home.
Schettino made his bizarre excuse for leaving the ship during a three-hour court hearing in the mainland town of Grosseto before his release.
He told investigating magistrate Valeria Montesarchio: “The passengers were rushing all over the decks trying to scramble into the lifeboats. I didn’t even have a life jacket because I had given it to one of the passengers - I was trying to get them into the lifeboats in an orderly fashion. All of a sudden the boat listed between 60-70 degrees. I tripped and ended up in one of the lifeboats. That’s why I was in there.”
Prosecutors said his explanation was “curious to say the least” and added that he would also be subjected to drug and alcohol tests.
Despite freeing the captain, Judge Montesarchio wrote that he made no attempt to return to his ship and described his actions as “inept, negligent and imprudent”.
Amid reports that Schettino had vowed never to return to sea, a former captain who sailed with him claimed he handled ships “like a Ferrari driver”.
Martino Pellegrino said: “I’ve always had my reservations about Schettino. He was too exuberant. A daredevil. More than once I had to put him in his place.”
A coastguard who was recorded ordering Schettino to return to his ship, saying: “Damn it, get back on board” has become a national idol. Gregorio De Falco is the subject of Facebook sites and even T-shirts.
Another hero to emerge is Captain Roberto Bosio, who was off duty on the Concordia and gave the order to abandon ship after Schettino delayed for 45 minutes. He said: “Only a disgraceful man would have left all those people on board.”
It was also claimed on Wednesday that the theme tune from Titanic, My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion, was playing on the ship at the precise moment it began to take on water. - Daily Mail
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Anonymous, wrote
Yeah, and then my hands kept repeatedly slipping on the oars, which coincidentally made them move in a rowing motion, until I hit shore, at which point I slipped *out* of the boat! Anyone could be on all of the drugs in the world and they still wouldn't believe this guy. His self-centered personality both amazes me and disgusts me at the same time. I can see him in prison now... "I didn't drop the soap! It SLIPPED out of my hands!"
Anonymous, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
maggie, wrote
He"Fell"into a life boat?.Guy says he "fell" into a girl & she got pregnant.ThaT"S MY STORY & i"M STICKING TO IT,LOL
Captain of the ship, wrote
Why are you guys blaming me ? If the CEOs can make millions when their companies are getting bankrupt; if the politicians enjoy a good pension plan and all benefits while the Govt. treasury is empty, if the sports people make millions even after losing matches, then I can also save my life and jump ship when it is sinking. (At least I did not steal anything from the sinking ship)
Jakkals, wrote
@Scapegoat, sorry mate, then you weren't worthy as a captain to begin with. With some professions comes honor. Something that is enshrined in doing that job. Look at our police force and army's honor. There's nothing and that's why it's in the state it is.
Scapegoat, wrote
I would have done the same, and probably those people that are prosecuting too. My family would be happier me in prison than dead, so if those are the options, yeah of course i would dive into a lifeboat.
cloudgazer, wrote
Celine Dion was playing? Aaah, well thats reason enough for the captain to want to crash the boat. He was trying to save passengers from a horrendous ordeal.
Sifiso, wrote
a captain must be the last one if his made of stone... he is also a human being with family...Run run
Leon, wrote
Hahaha "I fell into lifeboat", good one....... Your honour, you not gonna believe this, when I woke up I was standng in the bank with bags filled with money. All I could do was run when I saw the cops!!
Jess, wrote
Ha ha ha ha ha ha! And it rains when babboons get married! At least save some of your dignity and admit you were wrong @ss!
Anonymous, wrote
Excalibur, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
Lynn, wrote
excuse my ignorance in this matter, but i am confused as to why they didnt all just wait it out on the rocks over there next to the ship? nobody should have drowned at all...???
Precious, wrote
There were children on board, did he elbow them aside to get onto the lifeboat? His voice should have been on the intercomm telling the passengers to stay calm, he knew that the ship was close to shore and that they would be saved if possible. But a persons true character is exposed in a crisis and he didnt come up smelling of roses.
too much polish, wrote
Yes and when he walked past the safe he also slipped and his hands accidentally grabbed the money, totally unintentionally. The money is now also missing, but the reason for that is that it slipped out of his hands and fell in the sea when he slipped the second time and fell in the lifeboat, again by accident. Poor man, he cannot help it if the cleaners put too much polish on the floors, now can he?
Pangea, wrote
If this "Captain" was in the military during a war situation and in the old days. He would have been lined up against a wall and shot for deserting his post.
Ali, what's up here?, wrote
"Captain Coward" is really a funny character, who deserve harsh punishment for abandoning his trade oath as so-called captain to be the last to leave ship! Curiously, he "fell into a lifeboat" and could not return to the stricken ship but was that possible under circumstances to climb back up? Ah, but S.Africans will not loose chance to take a swipe at govt here at home, one wonders how "@anonymous" connects this Italian ship disaster to the extravagant Ministerial expenditures in SA? So what role did the rest of the crew play anyway if the focus now is on captain - there is hierarchy of leadership that we hear nothing about, except that they also ran to the life-boats like rats!A full investigation of this must be conducted and action be tsken against captain and his associates who were supposed to help passenngerss!
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