Search For Concordia Survivors Suspended, Cruise Ship Says “Sue Us” If You Want Compensation

There are still two dozen people missing from the Costa Concordia Cruise Ship crash last week and unfortunately, it looks like those people have all perished. The search for Concordia survivors was suspended on Wednesday morning as the Italian Coast Guard gave up hope to find anyone else alive aboard the ship.

Butch Hendrick, president of the diving safety company Lifeguard Systems, told CNN:

“I think you have to look at several issues. One is just the hypothermia. If a compartment is flooded, even if there was air, at this point, most of them would have succumbed to the hypothermic problem of the water temperature… I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t… I don’t believe there are (any more Concordia survivors). I’m sorry.”

Rescue crews will blast a few more holes into the ship this morning to give them easier access to the interior of the Costa Concordia, but it is no longer regarded as a rescue mission.

The Telegraph reports that those who did survive the shipwreck are now having legal problems with the cruise line. Many Costa Concordia survivors abandoned ship without grabbing any of their possessions. Now, without food or clothes, they’re looking to the cruise line for help.

But it isn’t happening.

Fernando Tofanelli, an Italian student who was aboard the ship, said:

“I don’t have any cards, I don’t have any ID, I don’t have the key to my car which is parked at Barcelona port, so I asked for some money to buy basics. Initially, everyone from Costa Cruises was happy to take notes and said they were here to help us, but that seemed to change throughout the day… By the evening, a tough-looking man and a handful of women were telling us, ‘If you want any money or compensation, you have to make a legal claim. You need to go to court’.”

The Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground on Friday night. At least 11 people have died and dozens are still missing. The coast guard believes that the ship crashed due to “human error” as the captain was apparently showboating to friends. Cruise Ship Captain Francesco Schettino has been charged with homicide for causing the accident and for abandoning ship.