Costa Concordia captain denies he abandoned ship

The detained captain of a stricken cruise ship which sank off the Italian coast with the loss of at least 11 lives, denied on Tuesday allegations that he had abandoned ship.

The detained captain of stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia, which sank off the Italian coast with the loss of at least 11 lives, denied on Tuesday allegations that he had abandoned ship.

HT Image

"The captain defended his role on the direction of the ship after the collision, which in the captain's opinion saved hundreds if not thousands of lives," Francesco Schettino's lawyer Bruno Leporatti said. "The captain specified that he did not abandon ship."