Concordia's captain says: I'm sorry

2012-10-15 19:56

Costa Concordia (Gregorio Borgia, AP)

Grosseto - The captain blamed for the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise liner off the Italian coast in January that killed 32 people shook hands with survivors and apologised on Monday at a court hearing to decide if he should face a full trial.

Francesco Schettino appeared relaxed and spoke often to his legal team, the lawyer representing 80 US survivors and family members, said.

A lawyer for the families of those killed said no one should have died.

The 114 500 ton luxury cruise ship capsized on 13 January after approaching the Tuscan island of Giglio to perform a manoeuvre close to the shore known as a salute. It struck a rock which tore a gash in its hull.

Schettino has admitted he made mistakes but has accused the company of mishandling the response. He said last week he was suing Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival, for unfair dismissal following the accident.

Held up to ridicule in Italy and abroad since the disaster, he faces charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship during a chaotic night-time evacuation of 4 200 passengers and crew. Two bodies have still not been recovered. The ship is still sitting half-submerged on a rocky shelf off the island.

It was the first such hearing Schettino had attended.

Luciano Castro, an Italian survivor at the hearing in a theatre in the central town of Grosseto, said Schettino appeared "embarrassed" when they spoke briefly.

"The only thing he said was when I told him that I hope that the truth will soon be established, he said, 'yes, it needs to be established soon'," Castro told reporters.

Sorry

Two German survivors who attended the hearing said Schettino had shaken their hands and said he was sorry.

Lawyers representing the victims' families said they wanted to look beyond Schettino.

"The reason these people died is not because of Captain Schettino, the reason these people died is because of the corporation, the negligence in their practices and safety procedures. There was no reason for anyone to die," said Peter Ronai, a lawyer for the victims' families.

Schettino did not speak during Monday morning's hearing but his lawyers said he accepted blame for the accident and wanted the full truth to be established.

"The captain is doing what is in his right to do, he is conducting his defence," his lawyer Francesco Pepe told reporters outside the closed door hearing.

"It is in his interest that the truth comes out and it is a question of respect, not just for his rights but also the rights of the survivors," he said.

Eight other officers and executives of Costa Cruises , the ship's owner, are also being investigated for their roles in the accident.

The hearings will include the presentation of data taken from the ship's "black box" and an analysis of the accident by a panel of experts.

Castro, who was aboard the ship when it capsized, said: "What I would say to Captain Schettino is first to tell the truth and second to remember when he speaks that there are people looking at him who are still missing loved ones, people who will never be found because of what happened."

- Reuters