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Luxury Cruise Runs Aground Off Italy, At Least 3 Dead
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 14, 2012
Modified Jan 14, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 14, 2012
Modified Jan 14, 2012
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Last night, off the Italian coast near Tuscany, a luxury cruise ship ran aground by the island of Giglio, setting off a "panicked" evacuation from the ship. So far, Italian authorities say 4,165 of the 4,234 passengers and crew have been accounted for, with at least three bodies found. Laurie Willits, a passenger who had been watching a magic show on the boat, told CNN, "All of a sudden the lights flashed and the boat tipped like it was turning, but it didn't return to level. And then we heard a scraping noise to the left of the ship and my husband said 'we're sliding off our seats... something's wrong.'"
The boat, the Costa Concordia, is currently lying flat on one side and divers are searching the submerged decks. In the water According to the AP, "Survivors who escaped a luxurycruise ship that ran aground and tipped over described a delayed and then a panicked evacuation, as plates and glasses crashed around them and as they crawled along upended hallways trying to reach safety.... Passengers complained that the crew failed to give instructions on how to evacuate and once the emergency became clear, delayed lowering the lifeboats until the ship was listing too heavily for many of the boats to be released. An evacuation drill was only scheduled for Saturday afternoon, even though some passengers had already been on board for several days."
One passenger told Reuters, "I can easily understand the comparisons to the film, how it must have been on the Titanic, or in a fiction film." And from the AP:
[Georgia Ananias] choked up as she recounted the moment when an Argentine couple handed her their 3-year-old daughter, unable to keep their balance as the ship lurched to the side and the family found themselves standing on a wall.
“He said ‘take my baby,’ ” Mrs. Ananias said, covering her mouth with her hand as she teared up. “I grabbed the baby. But then I was being pushed down. I didn’t want the baby to fall down the stairs. I gave the baby back. I couldn’t hold her.
“I thought that was the end, and I thought they should be with their baby,” she said.
“I wonder where they are,” Valerie Ananias whispered.
The Costa cruise line said in a statement, "The gradual listing of the ship made the evacuation extremely difficult. We'd like to express our deepest gratitude to the coastguard and other emergency services, including the authorities and citizens of the island of Giglio, who did their best in saving and helping the passengers and crew."
It's still unclear how the ship ran aground, but a Coast Guard official said, "We think this happened as a result of sailing too close to an obstacle like a reef."
Tagged
costa concordia
costa cruise
cruise
italy
mediterranean
titanic
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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