Italy Wraps Up Probe of Cruise Liner Shipwreck

December 27, 2012

Prosecutors in Tuscany have officially finished their probe of the Costa Concordia shipwreck that killed 32 people off the Italian coast.

Prosecutors deposited some 50,000 pages of evidence Thursday with court officials. The evidence includes testimony, experts’ reports and a phone recording in which Italian coast guard officials order the Italian captain of the ship to go back aboard the vessel, which rammed a reef off Giglio island on Jan. 13 and capsized.

State TV quoted Chief Prosecutor Francesco Verusio as saying Capt. Francesco Schettino risks 20 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter and abandoning ship before evacuation was complete.

In a few weeks, prosecutors are expected to request indictment of Schettino and seven others. Schettino denies wrongdoing and contends his skilled steering after the collision saved lives.

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