Italian prosecutors: Costa Concordia passengers could have survived if captain ordered evacuation sooner


Italian prosecutors said Tuesday that 32 of the Costa Concordia's passengers died because the ship's captain didn't order an evacuation in time.
Francesco Schettino has been accused of causing the shipwreck, which happened near the Italian island of Giglio on Jan. 13, 2012. He has also been accused of manslaughter and of abandoning the ship before all 4,200 passengers were evacuated.
Prosecutor Alessandro Leopizzi apparently said that all passengers could have survived if Schettino had ordered evacuation more quickly, rather than resorting to an "each man for himself" tactic. Schettino's lawyers, meanwhile, argued that the ship suffered from equipment issues, and Schettino was trying to bring the ship closer to port.
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Prosecutors delivered their final arguments in court on Tuesday, and a verdict in the 19-month trial is expected this week.
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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
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