Much speculation has surrounded the captain of the cruiseliner named Costa Concordia. Prosecutors recently released footage that seems to show the captain, Francesco Schettino, allegedly waiting for a rescue boat as the larger vessel was sinking below the water’s surface.
Much speculation has surrounded the captain of the Costa Concordia. Prosecutors recently released footage that seems to show the captain, Francesco Schettino, allegedly waiting for a rescue boat as the vessel was sinking below the water’s surface.
The cruiseliner went down in January of 2012 after it struck rocks, resulting in the death of 32 people.
The trial for Schettino is currently underway and court officials are reportedly seeking a 20-year prison term for him.
In addition to manslaughter, he is also charged with ‘causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship’. In the past, the captain insisted he had tripped and fell into a lifeboat and he was adamant that he didn’t intentionally exit the vessel.
Many people were skeptical of his story and it wasn’t long before social media users and news outlets began referring to him as ‘Captain Coward’.
In the footage, the man who prosecutors say is Schettino, is calmly standing and facing the rescue boat that was approaching the Costa Concordia. At trial, Schettino was asked why he didn’t sound the alarm right after the ship struck rocks.
To that, he said he didn’t want the passengers to panic. The ‘abandon ship order’ was issued more than an hour after the collision.
