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Rescuers are seen next Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off the west coast of Italy at Giglio island January 14, 2012. |
A dozen Canadians were among the more than 4,000 shocked and shaken passengers and crew aboard a luxury cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Tuscany late Friday night, in a collision that claimed the lives of three and left 41 missing, the Foreign Affairs Department confirmed Saturday.
In an email, Claude Rochon, a foreign affairs spokeswoman, told that all 12 Canadians "are well and have been accounted for.'' Rochon could not say whether any of the Canadians suffered injuries.
"To protect the privacy of the individuals concerned, no further details can be released,'' she wrote in an email. "Canadian consular officials are providing consular assistance as needed.''
At about 10 p.m. on Friday, the Costa Concordia luxury cruise ship was touring the Mediterranean when it "struck rock'' off the coast of Isola del Giglio in Italy, the ship's operator Costa Cruise confirmed in a statement on Saturday.
The ship "sustained significant damage'' and when it began to severely keel over, "the order was given to abandon ship and deploy the lifeboats,'' the company stated.
On Saturday, three people were confirmed dead and at least 40 people were missing, French news agency Agence France-Presse reported.
Earlier in the day, news reports said there were 70 passengers unaccounted for, but as officials confirmed the number of people safely on the shore, the number of missing had been lowered, according to AFP.
Giuseppe Linardi, the governor of Grossetto, a city in Tuscany, told AFP that rescue workers were still trying to locate 41 people. Three were found dead, he confirmed.
"Checks are continuing, it is a fairly lengthy task that will go on into the night,'' he said. "Of the 4,232 people on board, 4,191 have been found so far.''
On Saturday, the ship's captain was arrested, AFP reported.
According to news reports, two Canadians on the ship were Wingham, Ont., couple Alan and Laurie Willits. The couple made it to safety on dry land.
Laurie told CNN that she and her husband were watching a magic show at the time of the collision.
"All of a sudden, the lights flashed and the boat tipped like it was turning, but it didn't return to level,'' Laurie told CNN, describing the moment the ship ran aground. "And then we heard a scraping noise to the left of the ship and my husband said, 'We're sliding off our seats . . . something's wrong.' And the magician disappeared, that was the funny part.''
Laurie told CNN that she and her husband hurried to their cabin amid the panic to grab their coats and life jackets.
"We knew we had to get out of there. We knew it was something serious. We grabbed our coats, that was it - none of our valuables, none of our important papers.''
As the ship began to lean to one side, Laurie said she heard the horrific sounds of crying children and screams fill the air as frigid ocean water gushed onto the ship.
The two eventually managed to get into a lifeboat, Laurie said, about an hour to 90 minutes after the emergency alarm was raised.
Once on dry land, the two watched from a pier on the island as the ship slowly keeled over until it was at an almost 90-degree angle in the water, CNN reported.
Earlier Saturday, other news reports pegged the death toll at up to six people. Linardi explained that difficulties in the rescue had led to confusion over the official death toll, which was put at six, earlier. He added that he believed 52 of the passengers on board the ship where children.
The survivors were taken to the small port of Santo Stefano near the scene of the accident, AFP reported.
Carnival Corporation, the operator of the cruise ship, released a statement on Saturday.
"This is a terrible tragedy and we are deeply saddened,'' the company wrote. ``Carnival Corporation . . . offers our sympathies and heartfelt condolences to all of the Costa Concordia guests, crew members and their families.''
The company wrote that they are co-operating fully with authorities and "working to fully understand the cause of what occurred.''
"The safety of our guests and crew members remains the No. 1 priority of Carnival Corporation . . . and all of our cruise lines.''
The ship was sailing from Rome with scheduled stops in Savona, Italy, Marseille, France, Barcelona, Spain, Palma de Mallorca, Cagliari and Palermo, Italy.
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