The Captain of the Costa Concordia is dening sole responsibility for the doomed cruise ship.
July 17, 2012- Francesco Schettino, the captain from the Costa Concordia, which crashed six months ago says he has a clear conscience. The captain said he accepts his responsibility in the accident and said he was sorry but feels he is not the only one that should be blamed.
Schettino said the disaster, which killed 32 people, was due to a chain of events that were unfortunate and might have involved some mechanical failure. The captain has been charged in the accident with multiple counts of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning his ship.
Schettino said it was easy to find someone that can be blamed or a scapegoat. He said he accepted his responsibility as a man and the captain. He does not blame anyone. The captain who was born in Naples expressed regret for all those who lost their lives.
Schettino has received much criticism from investigators, who think he recklessly took the cruise ship too near the shore of Giglio, an island off the coast of Italy, before running it aground. He also left the ship prior to over 4,200 passengers and crew had been evacuated.
The captain believes a mechanical failure caused him to steer too close to the island and hit the rocks. He says something within the compass malfunctioned. He also said that his decision to steer the ship closer to the shoreline actually ended up saving lives rather than causing the accident. He denied abandoning ship, saying he was thrown overboard.
One of the rescue stories from the Costa Concordia was so amazing it sparked this response: http://bit.ly/LgArH2
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