Italy cruise ship Costa Concordia aground near Giglio

Italy cruise ship Costa Concordia aground near Giglio

www.bbc.co.uk

At least six people are reported dead after a cruise ship carrying more than 4,000 people ran aground off Italy.

The Costa Concordia hit a sandbar on Friday evening near the island of Giglio and listed about 20 degrees, after which people tried to reach land in lifeboats or by swimming.

Rescue teams are going from cabin to cabin, searching for survivors.

Italians, Germans, French and British were among the 3,200 passengers. There were also 1,000 crew on board.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This happened in calm seas, with no apparent reason. People panicked when the ship listed severely, and many jumped into the sea rather than risk waiting further.

The number of dead is rumoured to be greater than official figures, with an interviewee (a passenger who escaped) on BBC radio —clearly in shock— saying no-one knows how many have survived.

Helicopters continue to search for survivors...


www.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by pause4thought


Apparently it hit a reef.
This is scary news for me as I just finished a cruise on a ship that looks almost identical.

reply to post by BeforeTooLong


You have to wonder what was going on on the bridge. With all the modern technology at the disposal of the helm, how can they hit a reef?

But at the moment it's the human tragedy that is enfolding which has to be the central focus...


Here's a video from CNN: Breaking News report

reply to post by pause4thought


No idea, I’m wondering if they had some technical difficulties or something.
The area is so well charted it’s impossible they didn’t know the reef was there.

Yeah as you said in your OP I don’t doubt that the death toll may be a lot higher. I read reports that some 300 souls were inside the ship at the time of collapse. Cruise ships like this are huge on the inside and are a maze at the best of times.. I couldn’t imagine an elderly person or even anyone trying to escape when they are seriously panicking.

reply to post by BeforeTooLong


The video report in the BBC article includes an escapee as saying the ship listed so severely it was easy for people to just jump in and start swimming. Some also fell in as a result of the panic while people were trying to get to lifeboats. He also mentions that many were asleep, and probably unable to escape their cabins. People were falling down stairs and injuring themselves, others were injured by falling objects.

What a nightmare.

Live news stream (in Italian) for latest pictures (worth trying on the hour): Sky Tg24

The good news is it happened only 400 metres from land! Hopefully that was within reach for the many who ended up in the water.

I've been watching this report on the local (Italian) news - and a nightmare it is!
They're reporting the cruise-liner hit a sandbar and immediately people went nuts.
The photos are incredible. I'll see if I can post some.

peace

reply to post by silo13


I was hoping an Italian speaker would turn up. Watching the live news stream (posted above), the ship now appears to be lying on its side in the water! Knowing how many elderly people use these cruise liners I dread to think how many were trapped in their cabins.

The photos would be particularly helpful for those who can't see video via their internet connection.

I've got some better shots but the ATS uploader is being doinky at the moment. I'll try again later.



peace

reply to post by silo13

They're reporting the cruise-liner hit a sandbar...

That's difficult to believe:

Coast guard official Francesco Paolillo, a local coast guard official, told the AFP news agency there was a 30m hole in the ship...

(Source: OP article)


That image is certainly sobering. How strange that the passengers were so near land, but in mortal danger.

reply to post by pause4thought


Interesting-that-some-harmless-sand-could-rip-a-30m-hole-through-a-ship
boom-noted-by-passengers---

Originally posted by pause4thought
reply to post by silo13

 

They're reporting the cruise-liner hit a sandbar...

That's difficult to believe:

Coast guard official Francesco Paolillo, a local coast guard official, told the AFP news agency there was a 30m hole in the ship...

(Source: OP article)


That image is certainly sobering. How strange that the passengers were so near land, but in mortal danger.

Getting some conflicting reports.

Passengers heard a large bang and were initially told the ship had shuddered to a halt for electrical reasons,

"We were having supper when the lights suddenly went out, we heard a boom and a groaning noise, and all the cutlery fell on the floor,"

I think its possible that there could have been an internal explosion or something and perhaps the ship drifted into the sandbar after?
Im still finding it all a bit weird that they actually run a ground.

Such a scary scenario that sort of sunk in slowly to me.. Makes me wana cry thinking about the elderly stuck in there

reply to post by 12voltz

Explosion-noted-by-passengers---

Are you serious? Have you got a source? Maybe it was just the jolt of hitting rocks?

reply to post by pause4thought

sorry=misread-the-report-it-was-only-a-Boom
www.abc.net.au...
' We heard a boom and a groaning noise,'
The captain is crazy," Mara Parmegiani, a passenger, was quoted by Italian media as saying.

How worrying... I guess like a lot of people who live by (and on) the sea I can not imagine what could have gone wrong and most of these ships are very capable and the waters well mapped.

That picture reminds me of the horror that surrounded the sinking of the "Herald of Free Enterprise" and the loss of 193 lives. Given that was a much smaller vessel I can not imagine from that picture how many might have lost their lives, but I am hoping for the best.

Thanks for the posting

ETA: that some are quoting explosions is troubling, lets hope it is nothing like the Sussex incident.

Are my eyes playing tricks on me? My depth perception off?


Where is the lighthouse in this ↓ pic?

Originally posted by silo13

reply to post by 12voltz


Thanks for clarifying.

Still, I have to ask: how fast was the ship going 400 metres from port such that a 30-metre hole was ripped out of the hull when it hit something?! We're not talking some flimsy 50-year old pile of junk here.


[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/bd4f114caa.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by BrokenCircles
Fairly sure thats it

reply to post by BrokenCircles