Costa Concordia

 I have just been so absolutely horrified by the events that took place aboard the Costa Concordia. I think we all have. Of the 4,200 plus people aboard, approximately 35 are missing or dead, and outage over captain Francesco Schettino's decision to abandon ship with hundreds of passengers still on board is continuing to grow. After all, it was Schettino's decision to steer the vessel fatally close to the Mediterranean island of Giglio in a bravadic parade of public relations that ended up costing many unsuspecting vacationers their lives.

On top of huge financial loss, the Carnival Cruise Line, owner of the Costa fleet, has some severe organizational issues at hand. According to eyewitnesses aboard the ship , as well as some of those on land, it has been highly suspected that were several "undocumented" passengers on board the doomed liner. (A terrifying prospect to rescue workers and other authorities - the number of actual victims:unknown.)

Now, rumbles of class action lawsuits have begun as recovery efforts continue. Carnival  has reportedly reached out to survivors, offering them a 30% discounts on future cruises in hopes of quelling the unrest.Response to these rumors have been fueled with outrage. If loss of life had not been involved, I would find this prospect completely laughable. Instead, I personally find Carnival's (potential) insensitivity to be disgusting, meek, and ill-conceived. I feel that simply suffering through the PR nightmare and financial issues of such a disaster aren't enough of a punishment for Carnival, currently the world's top grossing cruise line. When reports of the captain's ill-advised behavior first surfaced, the company stood by their employee, claiming that the close passing of islands was a common practice among cruise ships. Later, Carnival retracted their support for the embattled captain.

 As the corporate fallout from last Friday's accident continues to grow. relief efforts in Italy continue. Rescue workers are still frantically searching as  the wreck of the $590 million dollar vessel slowly shifts from the rocks where it is resting. Attempts to recover the missing have included using explosives to blow holes into the foundered Concordia, allowing access inside. Now there is fear that the 2300 plus gallons of diesel fuel and oil on board the ship will soon spill into the ocean, dampening the delicate ecosystem of the Mediterranean reefs. Now, with a  a potentially large  ecological disaster at hand, hope for the missing is beginning to fade.

A sixteenth body was found today, and nineteen other people remain missing.  Rescuers found seven of the bodies near one of the ships emergency exits. It appears as if the goup attempted to access the exit, but heartbreaking failed.   Among the missing are a father and daughter. They were on board to celebrate her fifth birthday. Among the dead, is the ships violinist Sandor Feher, who stayed aboad to help organize evacuation procedures. Feher was said to have been assisting a group of terror-stricken children with their life jackets.  According to eyewitnesses, Feher was last seen heading off to his living quarter to retrieve his beloved violin. It was his body that was the first found. It was identified by his mother, who  was flown in from Germany to confirm. His death reminds us, that among many tales of confusion and cowardice, it's ones like his - of bravery, and strength that give us hope. Concordia will be a story of poor planning, and regretful decisions, of  economical and ecological disaster, but not one of ruined humanity after all.

 I encourage every one to pray for and/or immediate on all of the people involved in and surrounding this terrible accident. The survivors, the rescue workers, the families of the missing and those that have perished - please keep them in your thoughts .Please pray for the families of those  folks whose terrible mistakes led to this events, and keep in mind that many of them may find peace hard tonight,

 An event diagram from the UK's Daily Mail, illustrating the events leading up to the sinking: