Cruise liner incident

Costa Concordia's captain arrested after three die in cruise accident

The captain of the Costa Concordia has been arrested after at least three people were killed when the luxury cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Tuscany, Italy.

A further 20 people were injured when the liner hit rocks near the island of Giglio and started to sink, shortly after beginning its voyage on Friday night.

The Costa Concordia's captain has been arrested (AFP/Getty Images)

Around 40 others are missing and divers are continuing to search cabins on the ship, which is now lying on its side in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Prosecutors have arrested the captain, Francesco Schettino, on suspicion of multiple manslaughter and abandoning the ship while passengers remained in danger.
Local media reports claimed the Costa Cruises vessel's first officer had also been detained as part of the investigation into the accident.

Passengers who made it to safety complained the instructions to evacuate the ship were unclear and that the crew waited too long to launch the lifeboats. Some compared it to being onboard the Titanic.
Italian authorities will look at why the liner followed a route so close to the shore and the reaction of the officers after it ran aground.
It is believed 37 of the 4,234 people onboard were British and although Costa Cruises said they had all been rescued, the UK's ambassador to Italy, Christopher Prentice, told Sky News his staff had not yet confirmed that.

Reports in the local press have suggested the three people known to have died were two French passengers and a crew member from Peru.
Several reports were also made concerning the failure of several lifeboats, the launching mechanism either failed to operate or the crew were unable to operate them correctly.


Our hearts and deepest sympathy go out to the lost and missing  as well as those fortunate enough to of survived the incident.