Firemen work on the Costa Concordia

Firemen work on the Costa Concordia

A helicopter evacuates Marrico Giempietroni, the Costa Concordia's cabin service director

The evacuation was branded “a catastrophe within a catastrophe” by survivor Georg Linsi, who told La Tribune de Genève: “Never in my life have I seen such a display of incompetence, unawareness and irresponsibility."

The Swiss national also reportedly revealed how the stricken ship listed so steeply that passengers were forced to “walk on the walls”.

The spooky Titanic link emerged as it was revealed that the Italian grand daughter of a Titanic survivor, 30-year-old Valentina Capuano, was on board the ill-fated Costa Concordia.

The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage from Southampton after hitting an iceberg in April 1912, killing 1517 people.

Captain Francesco Schettino, 52, is currently under house arrest accused of multiple manslaughter following the disaster.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2012/01/18/costa-concordia-titanic-theme-tune-was-playing-as-cruise-ship-hit-rocks-115875-23706282/#ixzz1jyk3l2E8

Costa Concordia

Owned by Costa Cruises, the Costa Concordia has plenty to offer those seeking total rest and rejuvenation on their cruise. On board this floating resort you can visit the fitness area, which is set across two decks and covers nearly twenty thousand, four hundred and fifty square feet, making this an impressive place to exercise. In the centre of the fitness area you will find a swimming pool to take a cooling dip in. The Costa Concordia was built in 2006 and has an impressive seventeen decks, with fourteen of these for passengers to explore. There are one thousand, one hundred crew members on board to look after you during your stay, allowing you to make the most of the public rooms, including thirteen bars and plenty of lounges.

Costa Cruises Concordia

Costa Concordia Europa atrium

Welcome to the Concordia, the largest and longest ship in the Costa fleet. Completely innovative, this floating resort becomes an additional destination on your cruise vacation, complete with a theater extending over three decks, a casino, disco, and ballroom. Each of her thirteen spacious decks combines the elegance of European style with American comforts.

The fitness area spans two decks, covering a total of 20,450 sq. ft., with a swimming pool at its center. Or choose from three other pools, two with retractable glass roofs.

Costa Concordia indoor pool

Reinvigorate yourself in the ultra-modern and well-appointed fitness center, stretch your legs on the track or tennis & basketball court, or take part in one of the many fitness classes: aerobics, stretching, body-dancing, step, and more. Afterwards, treat yourself to a sauna, Turkish bath or shiatsu massage in the luxurious Samsara Spa facilities.

Savor the quality and elegance of Italian culinary classics or grab a quick snack in one of the five restaurants. Meet new friends in one of the thirteen stylish bars and lounges. Discover hospitality at its best and toast to a well-deserved vacation with a glass of wine or campari.

Costa Concordia Veranda

The Concordia boasts over 500 cabins with balconies. The Private Veranda Staterooms are approximately 210 sq. ft. and include two lower beds that convert into a queen-sized bed, a private veranda, private bathroom with shower, direct-dial telephone service, mini bar, TV, safe, and a hairdryer.

concordia costa cruises

Dramatic new pictures have emerged of the panicked, final moments of the Costa Concordia as a damning new audio recording reveals the crew initially refused offers of help.

A taped ship-to-shore call, which took place 30 minutes after the liner hit a rock, reveals how senior officers on board were slow to act and intially denied there was anything seriously wrong.

The crew member was recorded telling the coastguard that the ship had suffered a power outage and said there was no emergency on board.

The conversation began at 10.12pm local time.

By then, many of the 4,200 passengers and crew had called relatives on their mobile phones asking them to alert the police, who in turn asked the coastguard to check on the state of the ship.

When asked by the coastguard if there are problems on board, the crew member replies: "We've had a blackout, we are checking the conditions on board."

:: Click here for an animated reconstruction of the Costa Concordia's final route based on AIS shipping navigational data.

Rescue teams work to find passengers and crew identified as missing

Despite further questioning by the port official, the crew member repeats that there has been a blackout, promising to keep the coastguard informed.

Meanwhile, divers are continuing to search for victims on the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia in a race against time.

Forecasts of worsening weather are threatening to shift the ship off the rocks and send it to the bottom of the sea.

The head of the firefighters' diving team, Modesto Dilda, warned earlier of a "12 to 24-hour window to complete operations" but the chief firefighters spokesman, Luca Cari, has insisted there is no deadline set for completing the search.

Four more of those who lost their lives in the disaster have been identified.

Two bodies pulled from the wreckage earlier this week have been named as missing passengers Jeanne Gannard and Pierre Gregoire, both French nationals.

An Italian and a Peruvian have also been identified as emergency teams continue to look for the other 21 people still missing.