It was January 13, 2012, exactly ten years ago, when the Costa Concordia, jewel of the fleet of the leading cruise group in Europe, was shipwrecked on Giglio Island, causing the death of 32 people including passengers and crew members.
And today Senator Gregorio De Falco, at the time of the shipwreck, head of the operational section of the Port Authority of Livorno, speaking to the microphones of the broadcast "Italy has awakened", on Radio Cusano Campus, still speaks of the responsibilities in the terrible misfortune.
"After 10 years we move away from the detail and we manage to have an overview of the story, even trying to draw some lessons from what happened - said De Falco -. I remember some absolutely violent moments, when I had the first phone call that had the tone of the announcement of a dramatic emergency. A strong concern immediately went up which was confirmed to me by the operations room, where it was understood that there was a real mystification on the part of the on-board command. The information we received was simply about the blackout and was not consistent with the information we received from a phone call from a female passenger's relative. We easily understood that there was something we were not told, so we insisted on having the mayday. We did what we had to do, in the end we had 8 helicopters, 48 naval units, underwater groups, but there was no declaration of emergency and above all the emergency had not started on board, people were still kept in the cabin. At about 21.50 the on-board command becomes fully aware that the ship was sinking, at which point a general emergency had to be declared and instead 50 minutes pass, this delay resulted in the ship tilting, 450 people had to return to deck 4 and then disembark from the stern with the biscuit ".
The famous phone call. “Getting on board was something said of impact, but it is the first phone call, the most important one, in which I ask to give the mayday. From that moment the rescue operation on board actually begins ”.
"The 'come back on board' - continues De Falco - was an indication. The lack of authority on board is something unheard of, the commander may be missing but not the command on board, but the ground authority had no reference to I only did my job, I did it as I knew how to do it, in the best possible way. Very serious mistakes were made by the commander, because they led to the death of 32 people who we could have saved even after the 'impact".
Then, a lunge about the convictions on the case. “The only one who faces the trial is the commander - adds De Falco - the others, far from being acquitted, immediately admit their guilt and suffer convictions. The first officer, the third officer, the second in command, Costa Cruises were all sentenced. It is true that only the commander entered the country's prisons, but it is also true that the wicked choices were his, the others were to blame for not preventing them ".
As for the "bows" of cruise ships, "the question arises again. As long as the maneuver is carried out safely, as long as the commander remains in control of his own ship, there are no problems. The problem is when the captain performs a wicked act, which has nothing to do with the reason and safety of the ship, at that point you can set all the possible rules but they will not help ".
THE CELEBRATIONS - On the tenth anniversary of the disaster, shipwrecked people and relatives of the victims returned to Giglio to participate in the commemorations. "This will be the last public celebration because we do not want to forget but respect the victims", warned the mayor of Isola del Giglio Sergio Ortelli.
A wreath of flowers was placed in the sea, in front of Punta Gabbianara, in memory of the 32 dead. The suffrage mass celebrated by the bishop of Grosseto Father Giovanni Roncari in a crowded church of Saints Lorenzo and Mamiliano in Giglio Porto was also dedicated to them, a place that hosted hundreds of shipwrecked people rescued on the night of the disaster.
In the evening the commemorations with a torchlight procession. Then, at 9.45 pm, the time when the Concordia ended up on the rocks, the "tufata", followed by the prayer for the victims and the uncovering of the plaque with the "Sailor's Prayer", installed at the eastern pier of Giglio Porto.
(Unioneonline / vl-D)
THE GALLERY:
#AccaddeOggi: 13 gennaio, dieci anni fa il naufragio della Costa Concordia