The 32 victims of the January
2012 Costa Concordia disaster off the Tuscan island of Giglio
died by drowning and not as a direct result of the impact of the
cruise liner against rocks, a police officer told a Grosseto
court on Tuesday.
"Suffocation by drowning is the constant cause of death
reported for all victims of the Costa Concordia," Captain Marco
Barone told judges in the trial of former captain Francesco
Schettino for multiple manslaughter, dereliction of duty and
damage to the environment in relation to Italy's worst maritime
disaster since the second world war.
"None of the victims died from direct causes linked to the
impact (of the Costa Concordia against rocks off Giglio),"
continued the official responsible for identifying victims and
establishing the cause of death.
"They all lost their lives as a result of consequences of
the impact, but not due to the impact itself," concluded Barone.
Three of the 31 recovered victims were found in open water
near the partially sunken vessel and the rest trapped between an
outside terrace and the rocks or inside the vessel, he added.
Some of the victims were swept away by strong currents while
trying to reach safety as part of a human chain, Barone said.
The body of one victim, an Indian national, has still not
been recovered.
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