An Italian cruise ship carrying over 4,000 people crashed into rocks on Friday night killing at least three people in a scene raising comparisons to the Titanic. The Concordia, owned by the Costa Crociere group, left Civitavecchia port about 50 miles from Rome on Friday, at 7:00 p.m. for a Mediterranean tour, but it smashed into rocks only a few hours out near Giglio Island.
Passengers were eating dinner when they heard a crash, dishes started flying, then all the lights went out, reported Italian press agency ANSA. Passengers were directed to put on life jackets as a precaution, but then the situation quickly turned to chaos as the ship began to list.
Giuseppe Linardi, prefect of the nearby city of Grosseto in Tuscany, said the impact created a 230-foot (70-meter) gash in the ship. Three people—two French tourists and crewmember from Peru—have been confirmed dead and about 70 are unaccounted for, reports the news agency.
The rescue mission is being coordinated by the port authorities of Porto Santo Stefano, which brought about 1,500 survivors to Giglio Island. The mayor of the island, Sergio Ortelli opened schools and hotels, and the priest took in people at the church. However the tiny 9.2-square mile (23.4 square km) tourist island is too small to house all of those rescued so some have been taken by ferry to of them were taken by ferry to Porto Santo Stefano, about 12 miles (19 km) away, reported Italy’s TGCOM24.[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6rYAUApKdc[/video]
The ship is now resting on its side against the sea bottom, at an angle of 80 degrees.
The cause of the accident is not yet clear. Investigators are carrying out both an administrative investigation and a criminal one. One source close to the investigation told ANSA that the ship was off course and should not have been anywhere near the rocks it struck.
Costa Crociere is the biggest cruise company in Italy. The company dates back to the mid-19th century and has been operating cruises since just post-World War II. In 2000 it was acquired by Carnival Corporation and is one of its main operators. In a statement, the company offered its condolence to the families of the victims, and also thanked local institution and local people for “rescuing and assisting our guests and the crew.” On its official Facebook page the company commented what happened, adding that is not yet possible to verify the facts leading to the accident and that is working to assist all the people involved.
