意大利邮轮触礁船长弃船逃生被捕

2012-01-16 15:46

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A cruise ship that ran aground is seen off the west coast of Italy at Giglio island January 14, 2012.(Agencies)

Maritime authorities, passengers and mounting evidence pointed toward the captain of a cruise liner that ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan coast, amid accusations that he abandoned ship before everyone was safely evacuated and was showing off when he steered the vessel far too close to shore.

Divers searching the murky depths of the partially submerged Costa Concordia found the bodies of two elderly men still in their life jackets, bringing the confirmed death toll to five. At least 15 people were still missing, including two Americans.

The recovered bodies were discovered at an emergency gathering point near the restaurant where many of the 4,200 on board were dining when the luxury liner struck rocks or a reef off the tiny island of Giglio. The Italian news agency ANSA reported the dead were an Italian and a Spaniard.

Still, there were glimmers of hope: The rescue of three survivors – a young South Korean couple on their honeymoon and a crew member brought to shore in a dramatic airlift some 36 hours after the grounding late Friday.

Meanwhile, attention focused on the captain, who was spotted by Coast Guard officials and passengers fleeing the scene even as the chaotic and terrifying evacuation was under way. The ship's Italian owner, a subsidiary of Carnival Cruise lines, issued a statement late Sunday saying the captain, Francesco Schettino, "made errors of judgment that had very grave consequences."

Authorities were holding Schettino for suspected manslaughter and a prosecutor confirmed Sunday they were also investigating allegations the captain abandoned the stricken liner before all the passengers had escaped. According to the Italian navigation code, a captain who abandons a ship in danger can face up to 12 years in prison.

A French couple who boarded the Concordia in Marseilles, Ophelie Gondelle and David Du Pays, told the reporters they saw the captain in a lifeboat, covered by a blanket, well before all the passengers were off the ship.

"The commander left before and was on the dock before everyone was off," said Gondelle, 28, a French military officer.

Coast Guard officers later spotted Schettino on land as the evacuation unfolded. The officers urged him to return to his ship and honour his duty to stay aboard until everyone was safely off the vessel, but he ignored them, Coast Guard Cmdr. Francesco Paolillo said.

(Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Agencies)

近日，意大利一艘豪华邮轮在托斯卡纳海岸附近搁浅倾覆。海事当局、乘客和越来越多的证据将矛头指向了这艘豪华邮轮船长，控诉其在所有人安全撤离前就弃船而去，而且在邮轮过于靠近海岸时仍在卖弄风情。

潜水员在黑暗的深处进行科斯塔•康科迪亚号邮轮的搜救工作，这艘邮轮已经部分沉没。他们找到了两位老者的遗体，遇难时仍然身穿救生衣，这使已经确认的死亡人数上升至五人。至少还有15人失踪，其中包括两名美国人。

这两具遗体是在邮轮餐厅附近一处紧急集合点找到的，当时船上的4200名乘客中有很多人正在这里用餐，而这艘豪华邮轮恰在此时在吉利奥小岛附近触礁。据意大利安莎通讯社报道，死者是一名意大利人和一名西班牙人。

幸存者生还仍有一线希望：有三名幸存者获救——包括一对度蜜月的韩国年轻夫妇和一名船员，他们三人在邮轮于周五晚间触礁大约36小时后被救起并被直升机送至岸上。

同时，人们的注意力也转向那位船长。海岸警卫队官员和乘客指认，船长在乘客撤离的一片混乱和恐慌中逃走了。邮轮的所有者、嘉年华邮轮的一家意大利子公司在周日晚间发表声明称，船长弗朗切斯科•斯凯蒂诺“判断错误，并导致悲剧性后果。”

当局以过失杀人罪嫌疑人为由拘捕了斯凯蒂诺。一位检察官周日证实，他们正在调查“船长在所有乘客都逃身之前就弃船而去”这一说法。根据意大利航海法，船长弃陷入险境的船只而逃将面临最高12年监禁。

奥菲利•贡代洛和大卫•杜•佩伊是一对在马赛登上邮轮的法国夫妇，他们告诉记者，看到船长在所有乘客都离船之前，很早就披着毯子坐在了救生艇里。

“船长在所有人都离船之前就先逃到码头上去了”，28岁的法国军官贡代洛如是说。

海岸警卫队指挥官佛朗西斯柯•帕里洛称，撤离行动展开时，海岸警卫队的警官在陆上发现船长。警官催促他回船履行职责，并在所有人安全撤离后再离船，但这名船长未予理睬。