The last two missing victims from the Costa Concordia wreck are believed to have been found after 20 months at sea, and authorities are awaiting DNA testing to confirm their identities.
The cruise liner sank last January off the Italian island of Giglio, killing 32 people after it struck a reef. Francesco Schettino, the ship’s captain, has been charged with manslaughter and abandoning ship after he allegedly caused the shipwreck. However, he says he wants a full investigation into what caused the ship to sink, believing there may be technical factors at play.
Tragically, another shipwreck occurred in Italy today after a boat carrying African migrants to Europe caught fire and capsized; so far, 159 people have been rescued, but the death toll stands at 94 and is expected to go much higher because many of those on the ship couldn’t swim, including children.
“We need only caskets, certainly not ambulances,” said Pietro Bartolo, chief of health services on the island of Lampedusa.
Italy’s interior minister, Angelino Alfano, said that the fire was actually set by passengers as a way to flag down another ship when their boat began taking on water. However, they didn’t realize that gasoline was also leaking due to a malfunctioning motor, and the fire quickly spread. Panicked, most passengers fled to the side of the ship that was free of flames, which tipped the entire vessel over.
“It’s an immense tragedy,” said Lampedusa Mayor Giusi Nicolini.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
