A new amateur video has appeared showing the crew of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, assuring passengers that nothing is wrong once the ship has started receiving water.
In the footage, a crew member says “everything is under control” and asks the passengers to go to their cabins.
It is believed that delaying the decision to leave the ship can cost lives. At least 11 people were killed.
Rescuers stopped their search once again after the ship moved into turbulent waters on Friday.
The movements of the boat twice hindered the work of the rescuers, and the search was stopped almost all day on Wednesday.
The ship may have moved only a meter or just a few centimeters, but officials fear it may suddenly slip into much deeper water.
A new amateur video showing the crew of the cruise ship Costa Concordia has appeared, assuring passengers that nothing is wrong once the ship has started receiving water
Costa Concordia stormed the Italian coast a week ago with about 4,200 people on board.
Twenty-one people are still unknown, and hopes of finding any of them alive are fading.
The latest amateur footage was posted online by Italy’s Rainews24 on Thursday.
A woman from the crew is heard in it, telling the passengers: “Please return to your cabins or take a walk in the hall if you wish.”
She says she is transmitting a message from the commander.
“We will solve the electrical problem we have with the generator. Everything will be fine. If you want to stay here, fine.
“But I kindly ask you to return to your rooms, where you will be seated and calm. Everything is under control.”
An audiotape broadcast earlier Thursday heard a Port Authority questioning the crew about the situation on board after passengers reported a huge crash and were told to wear vests
But an unidentified voice from Costa Concordia replied: “We had an eclipse and we are checking the conditions on board.”
“Do you need help or are you staying in the Giglio area for now?” the port officer asks.
“Confirmed. We’re staying here in the area to check out the eclipse. “ – replied the crew member, without mentioning an accident.
The impression left by the recording is that the crew failed to give a full account of the seriousness of the situation.
The ship’s captain, Francesco Shetino, is under house arrest on suspicion of multiple manslaughter.
Costa Concordia owners say he sailed too close to Giglio on an unauthorized course.
Prosecutors also accused Francesco Shetino of fleeing the ship before the evacuation was complete. He denies the allegations.
However, Italian media said that Captain Francesco Sketino had admitted that he had made a mistake in navigation.
He told investigators he “ordered the turn too late” while the luxury ship sailed near the island, according to an interrogation transcript.
Francesco Shetino also announced that the crew decided to sail near the island to greet a former colleague.
The company that owns the ship, Costa Cruises, stopped Captain Francesco Sketino and withdrew the offer to pay his court costs, according to reports.
Italian media also showed photos of a Moldovan woman identified as Domnitsa Chemortan, who says she was on the bridge after the ship ran aground. The woman defended the actions of Captain Francesco Sketino in an interview with Moldovan television.
Reports say investigators are trying to talk to her.
Rescue operators are ready to start pumping fuel from the ship’s tanks to avoid a potential environmental disaster.
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