意大利郵輪觸礁船長棄船逃生被捕

2012-01-16 15:46

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，意大利一艘豪華郵輪在托斯卡納海岸附近擱淺傾覆。海事當局、乘客和越來越多的證據將矛頭指向了這艘豪華郵輪船長，控訴其在所有人安全撤離前就棄船而去，而且在郵輪過于靠近海岸時仍在賣弄風情。

潛水員在黑暗的深處進行科斯塔?康科迪亞號郵輪的搜救工作，這艘郵輪已經部分沉沒。他們找到了兩位老者的遺體，遇難時仍然身穿救生衣，這使已經確認的死亡人數上升至五人。至少還有15人失蹤，其中包括兩名美國人。

這兩具遺體是在郵輪餐廳附近一處緊急集合點找到的，當時船上的4200名乘客中有很多人正在這里用餐，而這艘豪華郵輪恰在此時在吉利奧小島附近觸礁。據意大利安莎通訊社報道，死者是一名意大利人和一名西班牙人。

幸存者生還仍有一線希望：有三名幸存者獲救——包括一對度蜜月的韓國年輕夫婦和一名船員，他們三人在郵輪于周五晚間觸礁大約36小時后被救起并被直升機送至岸上。

同時，人們的注意力也轉向那位船長。海岸警衛隊官員和乘客指認，船長在乘客撤離的一片混亂和恐慌中逃走了。郵輪的所有者、嘉年華郵輪的一家意大利子公司在周日晚間發表聲明稱，船長弗朗切斯科?斯凱蒂諾“判斷錯誤，并導致悲劇性后果。”

當局以過失殺人罪嫌疑人為由拘捕了斯凱蒂諾。一位檢察官周日證實，他們正在調查“船長在所有乘客都逃身之前就棄船而去”這一說法。根據意大利航海法，船長棄陷入險境的船只而逃將面臨最高12年監禁。

奧菲利?貢代洛和大衛?杜?佩伊是一對在馬賽登上郵輪的法國夫婦，他們告訴記者，看到船長在所有乘客都離船之前，很早就披著毯子坐在了救生艇里。

“船長在所有人都離船之前就先逃到碼頭上去了”，28歲的法國軍官貢代洛如是說。

海岸警衛隊指揮官佛朗西斯柯?帕里洛稱，撤離行動展開時，海岸警衛隊的警官在陸上發現船長。警官催促他回船履行職責，并在所有人安全撤離后再離船，但這名船長未予理睬。