The captain of the Costa Concordia ship that shipwrecked off the coast of Italy in January 2012, Francesco Schettino, was found guilty of manslaughter of 32 passengers and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Schettino allegedly left the ship prematurely, before all the passengers were evacuated. “International maritime law requires all passengers to be evacuated within 30 minutes of an order to abandon ship” but it took more than 6 hours and not all passengers were evacuated. 32 people died.
[Costa Concordia Shipwreck Survivor Tales on Dateline]
Prosecutors wanted a 26-year sentence for Schettino, who was also found guilty of abandoning his post and causing the wreck. Schettino, who had worked for Costa Cruises for 11 years, is expected to appeal. He remains free during the length of his appeal.
