Jan 14, 2013

Survivors of the Costa Concordia disaster marked the first anniversary of the capsized cruise ship that left 32 dead. “After a year we are still traumatized,” said Violet Morreau, a survivor from France told Reuters.

: January 13, 2013: Relatives of victims cry during during a ceremony to commemorate the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia shipwreck, in which 32 people died, outside Giglio harbor January 13, 2013. (Tony Gentile/Reuters)

: January 13, 2013: Flowers thrown into sea by relatives float on January 13, 2013 near the Costa Concordia cruise ship during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster on the Italian island of Giglio. Survivors, grieving relatives and locals on the island of Giglio gathered on January 13 to mark the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, which claimed 32 victims. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 13, 2013: Relatives of victims stand on a boat in front of the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia outside Giglio harbor January 13, 2013. Sunday marks the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia shipwreck in which 32 people died. (Tony Gentile/Reuters)

: January 13, 2013: Relatives of victims embrace themselves during a ceremony to commemorate the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia shipwreck, in which 32 people died, outside Giglio harbor January 13, 2013. (Tony Gentile/Reuters)

: January 13, 2013: Relatives arrives near the Costa Concordia cruise ship on January 13, 2013 on the Italian island of Giglio for commemorations marking the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster. Survivors, grieving relatives and locals on the island of Giglio gathered on January 13 to mark the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, which claimed 32 victims. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 13, 2013: Relatives of victims stand on a ferry in front of the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia outside Giglio harbor January 13, 2013. Sunday marks the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia shipwreck in which 32 people died. (Stefano Rellandini/Reuters)

: January 13, 2013: Workers stand on the Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck on the Italian island of Giglio on January 13, 2013 during commemorations marking the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster. Survivors, grieving relatives and locals on the island of Giglio gathered on January 13 to mark the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, which claimed 32 victims. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 13, 2013: Relatives hold bunches of flowers before trowing them at sea on January 13, 2013 during commemorations marking the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster off the Italian island of Giglio. Survivors, grieving relatives and locals on the island of Giglio gathered on January 13 to mark the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, which claimed 32 victims. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)

: (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 13, 2013: Parish priest of Giglio Island Lorenzo Pasquotti (C) blesses a plaque dedicated to the victims during a ceremony to commemorate the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia shipwreck, in which 32 people died, in Giglio harbor January 13, 2013. (Tony Gentile/Reuters)

: January 13, 2013: Relatives attend the unveiling ceremony of a plaque with the names of the victims of the Costa Corncordia cruise ship in the port in the Italian island of Giglio on January 13, 2013. Survivors, grieving relatives and locals on the island of Giglio gathered on January 13 to mark the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, which claimed 32 victims. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 13, 2013: French relatives of Costa Concordia shipwreck’s victims trace a name from a commemorative plaque bearing the names of the 32 people who lost their lives in the disaster, on January 13, 2013 on the Italian island of Giglio. Survivors, grieving relatives and locals on the island of Giglio gathered on January 13 to mark the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, which claimed 32 victims. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 13, 2013: A French relative of the Costa Concordia shipwreck’s victims traces a name from a commemorative plaque bearing the names of the 32 people who lost their lives in the disaster, on January 13, 2013 on the Italian island of Giglio. Survivors, grieving relatives and locals on the island of Giglio gathered on January 13 to mark the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, which claimed 32 victims. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 13, 2013: Relatives of a victim look at the Costa Corncordia cruise ship from the port in the Italian island of Giglio on January 13, 2013. Survivors, grieving relatives and locals on the island of Giglio gathered Sunday to mark the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, which claimed 32 victims. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 12, 2013: The capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia is pictured outside Giglio harbor January 12, 2013. Sunday will mark the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia shipwreck where 32 people died. (Stefano Rellandini/Reuters)

: January 12, 2013: Relatives of victims pose for a picture in front of the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia on the deck of Giglio harbor January 12, 2013. Sunday marks the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia shipwreck in which 32 people died. (Tony Gentile/Reuters)

: January 12, 2013: Delia Ansaldo, 79, looks from the roof of her house at the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia surrounded by cranes outside Giglio harbour January 12, 2013. Sunday marks the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia shipwreck which 32 people died. (Stefano Rellandini/Reuters)

: January 12, 2013: A man works on the Costa Concordia cruise ship laying aground outside the port the western Italian island of Giglio on January 12, 2013. A year after the Costa Concordia tragedy in which 32 people lost their lives, the giant cruise ship still lies keeled over on an Italian island and its captain Francesco Schettino has become a global figure of mockery. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 12, 2013: A view of the platform in front of the Costa Concordia cruise ship laying aground by the port the Italian island of Giglio on January 12, 2013. A year on from the Costa Concordia tragedy in which 32 people lost their lives, the giant cruise ship still lies keeled over on an Italian island and its captain Francesco Schettino has become a global figure of mockery. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 12, 2013: The Costa Concordia cruise ship lays aground on January 12, 2013 on the Italian island of Isola del Giglio. A year on from the Costa Concordia tragedy in which 32 people lost their lives, the giant cruise ship still lies keeled over on an Italian island. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 11, 2013: The Costa Concordia cruise ship remains stranded on the side of the Italian island of Giglio on January 11, 2013. A year on from the Costa Concordia tragedy in which 32 people lost their lives, the giant cruise ship still lies keeled over on an Italian island and its captain Francesco Schettino has become a global figure of mockery. Italy on Friday extended a series of emergency powers to deal with the removal of the Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck amid a row over delays in the salvage operation a year after the disaster. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 11, 2013: Activists of the enviromental association Legambiente demonstrate in front of the Costa Concordia cruise ship on January 11, 2013 on the Italian island of Giglio. A year on from the Costa Concordia tragedy in which 32 people lost their lives, the giant cruise ship still lies keeled over on an Italian island and its captain Francesco Schettino has become a global figure of mockery. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 11, 2013: Children look out from a bus at the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia, which is surrounded by cranes during a salvage operation in front of Giglio harbor January 11, 2013. January 13 will mark the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia shipwreck which 32 people died. (Tony Gentile/Reuters)

: January 10, 2013: Workers pass on a small boat near the Costa Concordia cruise ship laying aground near the port on January 10, 2013 on the Italian island of Giglio. A year on from the Costa Concordia tragedy in which 32 people lost their lives, the giant cruise ship still lies keeled over on an Italian island and its captain Francesco Schettino has become a global figure of mockery. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images)

: July 12, 2012: Tourists sunbathe as salvage team members work at the rock on the side of the Costa Concordia cruise ship near the harbor of Giglio Porto on July 12, 2012. Salvage crews began work on preparations to refloat the half-submerged Costa Concordia cruise liner in what is set to be the biggest ever operation of its kind. The cruise liner, operated by Carnival Corp’s Costa Cruises unit, capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio after hitting rocks on January 13. At least 30 people died and two are still unaccounted for. (Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images)

: June 25, 2012: People relax on a beach close to the stranded Costa Concordia cruise ship near the harbor of Giglio Porto on June 25, 2012. Salvage crews began preliminary work this week on preparations to refloat the half-submerged Costa Concordia cruise liner in what is set to be the biggest ever operation of its kind. The cruise liner, operated by Carnival Corp’s Costa Cruises unit, capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio after hitting rocks on January 13. At least 30 people died and two are still unaccounted for. (Vincezo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 23, 2012: A firefighter hangs from a chopper over the Costa Concordia cruise ship which ran aground off the west coast of Italy at Giglio island January 23, 2012. Divers on Monday found two more bodies on deck number four of the Costa Concordia, the capsized cruise liner resting half-submerged near the port of Italy’s Giglio island, said Franco Gabrielli, head of the civil protection agency. (Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via Reuters)

: January 20, 2012: The cruise ship Costa Concordia lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio on January 20, 2012 in Giglio Porto, Italy. The rescue operation to find missing passengers aboard Costa Concordia was suspended again today, as the vessel shifted on the rocks on which it it is resting. (Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)

: January 18, 2012: Cruise ship Costa Concordia lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio on January 18, 2012 in Giglio Porto, Italy. The official death toll is now 11, with a further 24 people still missing. The rescue operation was temporarily suspended earlier due to the ship moving as it slowly sinks further into the sea. (Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)

: January 17, 2012: The luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia is shown run aground off the coast of Giglio in this January 17, 2012. DigitalGlobe handout satellite photo obtained by Reuters January 18, 2012. Eleven people are confirmed dead and at least 23 are still missing from more than 4,200 passengers and crew after the Concordia ran aground two hours into a week-long cruise of the western Mediterranean Sea. (DigitalGlobe/Handout via Reuters)

: January 17, 2012: Rescuers work on the cruise ship Costa Concordia as lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio, on January 17, 2012 in Giglio Porto, Italy. More than four thousand people were on board when the ship hit a rock off the Tuscan coast. At least 11 people have been confirmed dead and another 24 missing. (Laura Lezza/Getty Images)

: January 14, 2012: View of the Costa Concordia taken on January 14, 2012, after the cruise ship ran aground and keeled over off the Isola del Giglio, last night. Three people died and about 70 were missing Saturday after an Italian cruise ship with more than 4,000 people on board ran aground and keeled over, sparking scenes of panic. The Costa Concordia was on a trip around the Mediterranean when it apparently hit a reef near the island of Giglio on Friday, only a few hours into its voyage, as passengers were sitting down for dinner. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images)

: January 13, 2012: Sunset over the cruise liner Costa Concordia aground in front of the harbor of Isola del Giglio after hitting underwater rocks on January 13. Pier Luigi Foschi, head of the Costa Crociere line, said the company had commissioned several firms to look at the best way to salvage the 114,500-tonne vessel lying on its side. The 290-metre (950-feet) long Costa Crociere, which is 17 decks high, has a large gash in its hull from running on to rocks before it capsized on Friday night. Coastguards said the half-submerged giant ship had now stabilised as weather conditions off the Tuscan coast improved but added that there was still a risk the hulk could slip off a rocky shelf into the open sea and sink entirely. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images)

Concordia survivors mark first anniversary of cruise ship wreck
Silvia Ognibene | Reuters
12:08 p.m. EST, January 13, 2013

GIGLIO, Italy (Reuters) – Survivors of the Costa Concordia disaster and relatives of the 32 people who died returned to the Italian island of Giglio on Sunday to mark one year since the luxury cruise liner capsized.

A boat ferried the visitors close to where the 290-metre-long (950 ft) ship hit rocks before keeling over on its side off the Tuscan island, where it still lies now.

They threw bunches of flowers in the sea and watched as a crane lowered part of a rock that was removed from the hull and has been carved into a memorial and adorned with a plaque, into the water.

Their boat sounded its horn 32 times to salute the dead.

“After a year we are still traumatized,” said Violet Morreau, a survivor from France, who was in the restaurant area with 10 family members on January 13, 2012, when the ship carrying some 4,200 people hit the rocks.

“No one told us what to do … we were scared of dying, like the people who did lose their lives, because of somebody else’s recklessness,” Morreau said.

The crowds observed a minute’s silence and a Catholic priest led a Mass to commemorate the disaster.

“I remember the shock, we weren’t able to understand what was happening,” said Anna di Pavia, who was on the cruise with her husband and 1-year-old son.

“We are here to thank the inhabitants of Giglio … but we are also here to seek answers that never seem to arrive. How could something like this have happened?” she said.

The ship’s Captain Francesco Schettino faces accusations of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship. Prosecutors say he caused the accident by sailing the vessel too close to shore in an attempt to “salute” the island.

He argues he managed to prevent a worse disaster by steering into shallow waters after the impact to help the rescue operation.

Investigations have concluded and prosecutors plan to submit a request by the end of January to indict the captain and up to eight others. A judge will then decide if there is enough evidence for trial.

Chief Prosecutor Francesco Verusio said in December Schettino faces up to 20 years in jail.

Salvage crews are working on refloating the wreck in what would be the largest ever operation of its kind. U.S. firm Titan Salvage said on Saturday the ship would be removed by September at the latest.

The 114,500-tonne liner will be pulled upright by cranes, helped by tanks attached to its sides filled with air, and the ship will be towed to an Italian port and broken up.

The vessel’s owner Costa Cruises, a unit of Miami-based Carnival Corp, now expects the removal to cost $400 million, more than its original $300 million estimate.

(Reporting By Silvia Ognibene; Writing by Catherine Hornby; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Survivors of the Costa Concordia disaster mark first anniversary of capsized cruise ship

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