ITALY | 14.01.2012

Three dead after Italian cruise disaster

 

The 290-meter-long ship took on water and tipped over

At least three people have been killed and around 70 are still missing after a large cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Italy. Rescuers have been deployed in search of further victims.

 

Italian coast guard officials confirmed Saturday that at least three people are dead and around 70 are missing after a cruise ship carrying at least 4,000 people ran aground near the island of Giglio.

Among the dead is a Peruvian crewman and two French passengers, one believed to be a man in his 70s who possibly suffered a heart attack after jumping into the sea.

With search and rescue operations still ongoing, an earlier estimate suggesting that 70 of the roughly 4,000 people on board were unaccounted for is gradually falling, officials said.

The Costa Concordia cruise ship was on a trip around the Mediterranean when it apparently hit a reef on Friday evening just as guests were sitting down for dinner. Some passengers jumped into the icy waters.

"There were scenes of panic like on the Titanic," said passenger Mara Parmegiani, speaking to Italian media. "I don't know how this could happen. The captain is crazy."

The luxury cruise ship is now lying on its side with a crack in its hull of at least 50 meters (160-foot) in length.

The ship was carrying roughly 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members. Helicopters with spotlights were deployed to aid the rescuers' work. Boats from the nearby port also set out to help authorities.

Difficult evacuation

Some 4,000 passangers had to be evacuatedCosta Cruises, the company that runs the ship, said it was "shocked" by the news and expressed its condolences to the families of the victims.

In a statement earlier Saturday, the company said the evacuation had been fast, although it was made more difficult as the ship took on water and keeled over. Costa Cruises did not give any indication as to what could have caused the accident.

Passengers were initially told that the ship had shuddered to a halt for electrical reasons. "We heard a crash," said Christine Hammer, from the German city of Bonn, speaking with the Associated Press. "Glasses and plates fell down and we went out of the dining room and we were told it wasn't anything dangerous."

Other passengers confirmed that for 45 minutes they were told there was a simple "technical problem" before being advised to put on life jackets and head for lifeboats.

The ship launched earlier on Friday from Civitavecchia, near Rome, and had planned stops in Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallora, Cagliari and Palermo.

Around 1,000 Italian customers were on board, as well as more than 500 Germans and about 160 French people. The company did not give details about the nationalities of the remaining passengers.

Author: Charlotte Chelsom-Pill, Mark Hallam (AFP, AP, dpa)
Editor:  Martin Kuebler

 

 

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