The Costa Concordia disaster remains one of the deadliest incidents in modern cruise ship history.
On Jan. 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia — carrying roughly 3,200 passengers and more than 1,000 crew members, according to Britannica — hit a rock formation off Italy’s Giglio Island, tearing a massive hole in the ship’s hull. The Costa Concordia eventually capsized, killing 32 people.
Captain Francesco Schettino was sentenced to 16 years in prison for manslaughter and abandoning passengers in February 2015, per ABC News. During his trial, details emerged about how many of the victims died.
A court official said that some were “sucked into a vortex” inside the ship as seawater rushed in during the capsizing, while others drowned after jumping or falling into the sea as they waited to be rescued, citing Schettino’s indictment, per The Guardian.
In the wake of the disaster, major cruise lines adopted new safety measures aimed at improving emergency preparedness. One policy strengthened requirements for mandatory muster drills, and another required ships to maintain detailed records of passengers’ nationalities to help rescue teams identify victims more quickly in the event of an emergency, per CNN.
Here’s everything to know about the passengers and crew members who lost their lives in the Costa Concordia shipwreck.
The Costa Concordia disaster claimed the lives of 32 people, making it one of the deadliest cruise ship disasters in modern history.
The cruise ship struck a submerged rock off Italy’s Giglio Island after Schettino deviated from the ship’s planned route to perform a close-to-shore sail-by, known in Italy as a “salute.” The impact tore a roughly 174-foot gash in the hull — flooding the engine rooms, cutting power and leaving the ship unable to maneuver. As water poured in, the vessel drifted before capsizing near the island’s coast.
Schettino was later convicted of multiple charges, including manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship, and was sentenced to 16 years in prison, per ABC News.
Which passengers died in the Costa Concordia shipwreck?
A total of 27 passengers died in the Costa Concordia disaster, according to the Quotidiano Nazionale.
The youngest victim was Dayana Arlotti, 5, who was traveling with her father Williams Arlotti, 36, and his girlfriend, Michela Maroncelli. According to a 60-page investigative dossier obtained by The Guardian, Dayana and Williams tried to board a lifeboat on the port side of Deck 4 but were unable to find space. Crew members directed them toward the starboard side, but as they crossed the ship, Dayana fell into a flooded area. Williams also died, while Maroncelli survived.
Friends Elisabeth Bauer, 79, and Margarethe Neth, 71, of Germany, died in the shipwreck, while another woman whom they were traveling with survived, per Quotidiano Nazionale. A young couple — Michael Blemand, 25, and Mylène Litzler, 23, of France — were also found together inside the wreck.
Maria D’Introno, 30, initially secured a place aboard a lifeboat but was forced to return to the ship when it could not be lowered, according to prosecutors. The report obtained by The Guardian said that she later jumped into the water while wearing a life jacket, but was unable to swim and died.
Horst Galle, 66, died along with his wife, Margrit Schröter, 60, per Quotidiano Nazionale. Guillermo Gual Buades, 68, was traveling with his niece and her husband.
Minnesota residents Barbara Heil, 70, and Gerald “Jerry” Heil, 69, were the only two Americans killed in the disaster, per ABC News. According to Quotidiano Nazionale, Gerald had worked for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and the cruise was intended to celebrate his retirement.
Egon Hoer, 74, of Germany, was traveling with his wife, Waltraud Karle, who survived, per Quotidiano Nazionale.
Recently retired insurance salesman Jean-Pierre Micheaud, 61, was traveling with his wife, Béatrice. He helped ensure that she boarded a lifeboat, but there was no room left for him. Micheaud entered the water and died of hypothermia, according to Quotidiano Nazionale.
Francis Servel, 71, of France, reportedly gave his life jacket to his wife after the available lifeboats filled. He then entered the water and was pulled beneath the surface as the ship rolled onto its side, according to The Guardian.
Inge Schall, 72, of Germany, was traveling with her partner, who survived. According to Rai Italia, her partner recalled that crew members instructed them to enter the water after climbing through a metal grating, and the two became separated during the escape.
Longtime friends Maria Grazia Trecarichi and Luisa Antonia Virzì were traveling with Trecarichi’s daughter, Stefania Vincenzi, and Stefania’s boyfriend. Both women — who were around 50 years old — died after becoming separated from Vincenzi during the evacuation. Trecarichi remained missing for over a year before her remains were recovered in late 2013, per SBS News.
“My mother’s body was one of the last ones to be found. Finding her body wasn’t comforting for me at all,” Vincenzi said in Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea. “She was my entire world, and I was hers.”
Among the additional victims includes Siglinde Stumpf, Giovanni Masia, Jeanne Gannard, Pierre Grégoire, Gabriele Grube, Christina Mathi Ganz, Norbert Josef Ganz, Josef Werp and Brunhild Werp, per Quotidiano Nazionale and the Los Angeles Times.

source:https://people.com/costa-concordia-victims-what-to-know-12018954