The cruise ship captain of the Costa Concordia, which capsized off the coast of Italy on Friday, is facing manslaughter charges over the death of least three people.
Rescue workers are searching for up to 40 people still missing after the huge cruise ship ran aground late on Friday night, with three people already confirmed dead and a further 70 said to be injured.
The captain of the ship, Francesco Schettino, is being held in an Italian prison on multiple manslaughter charges after abandoning the ship before all passengers were rescued.
There is still confusion over the exact details of the disaster. The official explanation from vessel operator, Costa Crociere, is that the Costa Concordia struck a submerged rock, although Schettino has since claimed that no rock was marked on the maritime charts of the area.
Costa Cruises president Gianni Ororato said that Schettino had “performed a manoeuvre intended to protect both guests and crew” but that it was “complicated by a sudden tilting of the ship”, an explanation that hasn’t washed with passengers angry at why the ship was so close to the shore in the first place.
“We are investigating the possible responsibility of other people who could be responsible for such a dangerous manoeuvre,” state prosecutor Francesco Verusio Italian television.
“The command systems did not function as they should have.”
An Irish couple who were on board the €450 million luxury ship are due back in the country later today.
