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This Thursday, January 13, marks the tenth anniversary of the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that was traveling with 4,229 people from 70 countries and sank near the coast of the island of Giglio, in northwestern Italy. Survivors and relatives of the 32 fatalities left by the incident gathered in a commemorative act to pay tribute.
Many of the inhabitants of the island of Giglio attended the commemorative events this Thursday, January 13, in Italy to pay tribute to the victims left by the Costa Concordia cruise ship accident ten years ago.
For this sad anniversary, a mass was held in the church that housed many of the survivors who, in sub-zero temperatures, sought shelter as the ship sank on that tragic night of January 13, 2012.
Following the ceremony, a candlelight vigil at 9:45 p.m. marked the exact moment the Costa Concordia struck the rocks of a reef in the waters off the Tuscan island, killing 32 people.
With the help of Coast Guard boats, several of the attendees placed a wreath at the spot where the ocean liner ran aground.
The “Cowardly Captain” of the Costa Concordia
Many of the survivors attended the commemoration on the island of Giglio on Thursday. The Italian Ester Percossi is one of the people who managed to get out of the Costa Concordia shipwreck alive. For her, it was a very important tribute, both to remember those who died and to thank again the islanders who, in the darkness of winter, helped crew members and passengers to get out of the water.
“It is extremely emotional. We come here today to remember, above all, those who are no longer with us, and relive the hell we went through and try to somehow exorcise it,” Percossi said upon arrival at the commemorations. “I remember the screams of the people, those who jumped into the sea. I remember the cold, the feeling of terror in everyone’s eyes.”
Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia ship, is not well remembered by the survivor or by many people in Italy. The guide of the boat, the person who should stay until the end in case of shipwreck, fled the accident that night of January 13, 2012, leaving behind hundreds of people who were struggling to survive.
The captain of the Italian Navy, Gregorio De Falco, coordinator of the relief efforts in the sinking of the Costa Concordia, assured that what happened was due to “the infamous behavior” of Commander Schettino.
“It was not a navigation accident. It was all due to the infamous behavior of one person,” De Falco said, adding that when he learned that the commander had abandoned ship it was a “tremendous disappointment” because “he was our interlocutor in these cases” and “there was no one there.”
Italian media were quick to call Schettino the “Cowardly Captain” for abandoning ship during the rescue. After several years of investigation, in 2017 he was sentenced to 16 years in prison on charges of manslaughter.
The ghost that never left
In the memory of Italians, Russel Rebello will always be considered a “hero”. The young waiter who was part of the Costa Concordia crew helped many people get off the ship and was one of the few who stayed until the end trying to empty the boat.
“My brother did his duty, he lost his life helping other people, obviously I’m proud of that and I think he would be very proud of what he did, helping so many people,” said Kevin Rebello, brother of the victim, during the commemoration this Thursday in Giglio.
The young man lived for several months on the Tuscan island, while a group of divers searched for his brother in the sea. But the body was only found years later, when the boat’s huge rusty hull was righted and towed away.
In total, the Costa Concordia was stranded at sea for two and a half years. But, for some of Giglio’s residents, he is a ghost that never left.
With EFE, AP and Reuters
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