A lawyer for the families of the 32 people killed when the Costa Concordia cruise ship capsized off Italy's coast said yesterday no-one should have died in the accident as a court prepared to hear what the vessel's "black box" data recorders held.
The court reconstructed the accident in a series of pre-trial hearings attended by Captain Francesco Schettino, the captain of the wrecked vessel. It will decide if Schettino should face a full trial.
The 114,500-tonne luxury cruise ship capsized and sank in January after approaching the Tuscan island of Giglio to perform a manoeuvre close to the shore. It struck a rock which tore a gash in its hull and capsized.
At least 30 people died during a chaotic night-time evacuation of 4200 passengers and crew, and two bodies have still not been recovered. Schettino admits making mistakes but has accused the company of mishandling the response. He is suing Costa Cruises for unfair dismissal.
He faces charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship. Lawyers for the victims' families said faulty procedures put in place by the ship's operator also needed to be exposed.
"The reason these people died is not because of Captain Schettino, the reason these people died is because of the corporation, the negligence in their practices and safety procedures. There was no reason for anyone to die," said Peter Ronai, a lawyer for the victims' families.
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