A Rome court on Tuesday postponed a
hearing to consider a request by former Costa Concordia captain
Francesco Schettino to be granted a day-release regime to April
8 due to a change of judge.
Schettino is serving a 16-year sentence at Rome's Rebibbia
prison for multiple manslaughter in relation to the 2012 cruise
ship disaster off Tuscany's Giglio island that claimed 32 lives.
Schettino caused Italy's worst postwar maritime disaster by
sailing the liner too close to the coast of the island in a
flyby to "salute" people on land.
Schettino was also dubbed captain coward in the media for
abandoning the ship before all his passengers were evacuated.
The disaster occurred after the cruise ship carrying 3,216
passengers and 1,013 crew members hit an underwater rock
formation off the island's east coast just south of its port at
21:45 on the evening of Friday, January 13, 2012, in a strong
impact that opened a hole 70 metres wide on the left side of its
hull.
The ship ran aground north of the island's port at Punta
Gabbianara, which saved it from sinking 100 metres to the sea
floor.
In addition to the 32 people who died in the disaster, a diver
also died while working on the ship.
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