Francesco Schettino Fell Off Boat After He Tripped

By: Pat Prescott
01/19/2012 04:47 PM ET

After reportedly abandoning his Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy when he stirred into jagged rocks causing it to list and partially sink on its side, Captain Francesco Schettino, now says that he didn’t abandon his ship rather he, fell off the boat after tripping.

As of Wednesday, 11 people have died from the incident and 21 are still missing. The ship was carrying about 4,200 passengers and crew members on Friday night when it sank.

Facing several manslaughter charges along with an abandoning ship charge, which he could face 12 years in prison for alone, Schettino said in a court hearing Tuesday that, “I was trying to get people to get into the boats.”

Schettino, also told the court while trying to help passengers, he wasn’t even wearing a life vest. He described a chaotic scene where, passengers were pouring onto the deck and “taking the lifeboats by assault,” all awhile he was trying to conduct an orderly evacuation.

He then told the court during the chaos he himself fell into a departing lifeboat. “Suddenly, since the ship was at a 60-70 degree angle, I tripped and I ended up in one of the boats,” he said. “That’s how I found myself in the lifeboat.” Schettino insisted there was no way for him to make his way back onto the ship to aid in the rescue.

After being ordered by the port authority to return to the ship to help his passengers, Schettino, said he coordinated the rescue from shore and never fled the scene.

Source: Francesco Schettino Fell Tripped