this is the titanic. massachusetts mia. >> in hour, the wreck of the costa concordia. the terror. >> they were directing you to go back to your cabins? >> correct? >> the depair. >> there were no women and children first. that was gone. >> the grief. >> we found him and he was dead. >> the desperate search for the missing. >> steve?

>> the captain risks the lives of thousands. >> it is obvious. the land is there. the rocks are there. >> why did he do it? >> heroism or extreme coward issues of determined in an instant. >> tragedy at sea. >> geraldo: behind me that is new york harbor. for centuries sea going vessels of all shapes and sizes have passed in and out of harbor. wasn't so long ago when you boarded a ship bound for the high seas you knew that real risk was involved. this week in the mediterranean sea came a staggering reminder that the sea is still dangerous and unforgiving. an ultramodern cruise liner sunk by what appears to be colossal bad judgment and the tragedy compounded by possible cowardice is and gross negligence. in a fran take race against time most of the passengers and crew were safely evacuated but not all of them and now the costa concordia is synonomous

with one of the most infamous cruiseline accidents in modern history. i have navigated these waters and the mediterranean, too. i know that disaster is always possible on the water and all too likely when you forget that. tonight the still unfolding story of the concordia's short voyage that started with high anticipation and ended in terror. >> i'm thinking oh, my god, how am i going to find lynn. how am i going to find her. >> they were not prepared. nobody knew what to do. >> oh, my god. >> we don't want to be yelling it out loud, guys. >> i had to -- i thought i was going to die.

i have two kids and i thought i was going to die. >> i remember thinking to myself if there is a point in this whole ordeal that we are going to die it is going to be on this lifeboat. >> we were told that the electrical system was failing and at first we were told not to panic. >> there is an electrical problem which is currently under control. our technicians are working to resolve the situation. >> we had a blackout and everybody was just screaming out. all the passengers were running up and down. >> we feel so fortunate that we made it on a boat because others didn't. >> they didn't have enough room on the boats for us so we had to wait. they said they were getting

back to get us and at that point the boat started sinking more and more. >> the ship was completely tilted and we had to hold on to bars so we wouldn't fall. >> that is the moment where you really start thinking about your family and your friends. >> there was this young woman right next to me on the life boat who had two young kids and had no where to hold. i asked her, i said hold my arms so she was latching on. >> it was chaos. everything was everywhere.

>> standing and the water started coming on my feet and i said to my wife that's it, we're gone. >> we just thank god that we were alive. that is all we were saying. >> i couldn't realize this was happening right now. it hit me later. all of our stuff is on it but we are off of it and there is still people on there. >> geraldo: tales of terror that have many americans asking how could such a calamity happen in this day and age? a good question and you will get answers tonight. first the island off the coast of tuscany. the idealic tourist spot at the center of the deadly disaster. i'mly kellogg is there with the latest in the ongoing drama. >> a week after the tragedy there are still people missing. still fuel onboard the ship and still so many questions that need to be answered. all of this as the bereeved families of those missing visit

the island. the mother of five-year-old deanna who was on the concordia celebrating her birthday with her father and his girlfriend has been here flanked by police as new amateur video emerges that shows some crew members on the night of the accident saying it was okay for people to just return to their rooms. leaked transcripts of conversations between the captain and investigators describe him saying that he did call costa cruise lines after the accident to tell them that he had run aground and to ask for a tug boat, life boats and a helicopter. the captain remains under house arrest but his lawyer suggests the cruise lanes may bear a share of the responsibility. >> geraldo: amy, thank you. it was april 1912, very close to 100 years ago when the luxury liner titanic steamed out of southampton england headed to new york city and, of course, never made it. hit an iceberg in the north atlantic. of the more than 2,000 onboard,

more than 1500 perished in the icy waters. even in the early 20th century sailing on the high seas was still a kind of adventure travel. icebergs, storms, hidden reefs. all real risks. far fewer people think of the ocean in that way today. will this tragedy make them think again? stranded on the rocks off the coast of tuscany, this is the remains of a tragedy that has the world asking how could this happen in 2012? sailing the seas since 2006, the ocean liner costa concordia was a class of a new line of ships created specifically for a division of carnival cruise lines. built in italy it cost a half a billion dollars. measures 952 feet from stem to stern. bigger than the titanic. she weighs 114,000-tons. heavier even than the uss enterprise, america's first nuclear aircraft carrier.

longer than three football fields and a football field was one of the few amenities not onboard. the stuff of dreams for vacationers from around the world. the 65,000 square foot fitness center. four swimming pools. five restaurants. 13 bars. a casino. a discoe. a multilevel theater and more than 1500 cabins of various shapes and sizes. >> if you look at the recent advertising of the cruise lines they have nothing to do with the boats any more. >> travel writer. >> they don't want the element of boats to come into it. the fact that you are out in the middle of ocean on a vessel surrounded by water. >> geraldo: the ship was christened concordia, italian for harmony in this case between nations. and over 35 nations represented among the 3,206 passengers. and the 1,000 plus crew members onboard last week. 120 of those vacationers were

american. including jordan poured concrete you well and nick hope of louisville, kentucky who were looking forward to the vacation of their young lives. >> we must have had a great sense of anticipation looking so forward to this great trip. >> my first trip out of the country especially my first trip to europe. >> geraldo: it was scheduled as a one week cruise, leaving a town on the italy west coast about 50 miles north of rome and knocking next at an italian seaport 25 miles west of genoa. it didn't occur to them that they left port on friday the 13th. something ell did trouble. >> we did not have a life boat drill. i was alarmed this did not occur. dii did inquire about it to a crew member and they explained it would happen the following day. >> in the united states, a vessel that is carrying passengers is required to conduct their safety briefing

normally before the ship pushes out to sea. the international regulations might stipulate it is done within 24 hours. >> it was 7:00 p.m. local time when the concordia set out to sea. at 11:00 p.m. scheduled to pass a small rocky island off the toast of tuscany. there should have been no mistaking where the vessel was. in addition to the vast array of amenities, outfitted with state of the art technology with every rock clearly missable on both electronic and paper charts. so the perils of the island would be clearly visible to any one paying attention. the ship's captain, the 52-year-old steered his huge vessel toward the giglio shore. several sources report that he wanted to sound the ship's horn as he passed the island to salute a retired admiral of the cruise line who lived ashore. >> i wouldn't want to be the captain of the titanic forced

to navigate between icebergs, the captain said in an interview in 2010, adding these days everything is much safer, thanks to modern technical instruments. but all of the electronic instruments in the world could not save the concordia from the wreckless disregard of her captain, steaming towards its end. >> when we return, fine crystal and gourmet dishes crashing to the deck. no

>> the costa concordia head for a close encounter from the island of giglio. and vuse were spectacular and then tragedy strikes . ♪ >> 9:42 p.m. passengers are just sitting down to dinner. one from bowling green, kentucky. >> i remember taking the first

bite of the appetizer and i heard the first crash, like a wine glass hit the ground and then you heard more and more stuff hitting the ground. >> ryan and his wife joanne and daughter alana described the chaos in what was the elegant dining room. >> people were fall waiters were trip glass were breaking . people were screaming. it the hull was gashed by a gigantic fox news got acess to a ship similar to outside of maryland. eric is thor of training. >> they're getting too close on harbor and i feel the vessel lising a bit. we have hit bottom. what has happened.

and we are running across that. and have to abandon ship. now the catastrophe has happened. now it is all about managing the disaster. >> that's right. back to concordia, it is 9:45 p.m. . three minutes after impact and an alarm and electricity failed and the ship goes dark. >> they told you it was an electoral problem and something with the generators and it is all under control. >> we are having a blackout and our engineers are working to resolve situation. >> don't panic but you could tell something was wrong . >> five machines later. 9:50 p.m. the passengers feel it list. they know the ship is leaning

in a perilous level and it keeps getting worse. >> people were sliding and there was people you know, going to the crew members in a panic and people going up and down the steps and push shoving and trying to find a life vest. only way to describe it was chaos. >> describe how it was on the deck. >> we were grabbing whatever we could to pull ourselves up. they are on the cruise together. >> get away from the table and falling things and we have something offer our head and get to the room. >> she told me to get my life jacket on. and i said to get the jewelry out of the safe and she went and got the flash light she was prepared. >> the damage is mortal. >> the rock had a 160 foot gash on the port side.

still the crew tells passengers to return to their cabin. and in desperation. captain schettino steers the ship to the island. most don't know where they are. i had to physically shake a crew member to tell me where the life boats are. tell me where they are now. i had tried to ask him and was directed to my cabin. i said no. life boats and at that point he said deck four. >> they are directing you to go back to your cbin than going to the life boat deck? >> correct. >> that is because the captain had not begin signal to abandon ship. that happens at 10:10 p.m. a half an hour after the crash and the panic gets worse. there were no woman and

children first. that was gone. >> the family trying to get on the life boat and their teenage son i said let him go through. people were frantic and screaming and shoving and yelling and just fighting for their life. >> we have mass chaos because they cannot disengage the boats. i am on the outside. if we go down we drown. and then they lowered us down. it was cheer excitement and relief. but then we look up and it is leaning over us and panic settles in again. >> at least hers gets in the water. with the ship on the side. many boats can't be launched at all. >> i was crying and terrified and i told my husband we are going to die here.

the water is in the mid-50s. passengers swim the 150 yards to shore. and a few don't make it. incredibly amid all of the danger it is not until twen:20 p.m. 10 minutes afteracious nouncing abandon ship that they signal the alarm to the coast guard and that begins an epick rescue is recovery operation. helicopters arrive to lift people off of the water x. private boats and shameful amongst the earliest to reach safety a man whose duty was to remain on board. captain schettino. his sad story, next. >> shocking tapes and the story them. was the concordia captain a coward or something else and why are they calling him a hero? this is more

tragedy at sea. it is total chaos as captain schettino runs the 950 foot 1014 ton costa concordia abroad. survivors of the wreck describe the scene out of the movie titanic. >> the star wall was the moment where people are scream crying. >> just like you can imagine from the movie titanic people grabbing and pushing and shoving. it is like the tiitantic. >> these scenes are shot in the dark of night by italian

coast guard shoppers using infra-red camera. and this amateur radio shows a passenger stranded inside and kiss oriented where they can't tell a sealing from a wall or floor. they are -- captain shehadeh is afloat on a life raft heading to land. the captain spoke with captain schettino by phone. their heated argument. two men polar opposites. the hero falco versus coward schettino and one man doing his duty and the other one running away. look schettino, you may have saved yourself through sea. i will put you back on trouble. i will make it bad for you. >> officer, please. >> there are no pleases.

go back on board. assure me you are going back on board and coordinate rescue from on board the ship. do you refuse to do that. >> no, i am not. >> are you refusing to get back on board. >> i am not going because the other rescue boat. >> you and the second officer have to get back on board. >> it is fine, officer i am going. >> then go aright now. >> schettino instead begged for a pair of dry socks in the hotel. >> when you heard that the captain left the vessel before the passengers were off your feelings? >> people are dead and missing and it is on his shoulders. >> authorities arrest schettino and indict him on manslaughter. they detain the first officer who also fled his sinking

ship. >> more survivors arrive without luggage and direction and types without their traveling companion. >> he had gotten to the island before me and trying to find her in the dark was unbelievable. i thought i will go up on the hill, there is a wall and there she is. like a beakon. karen, karen. and i am here, i am here. it was just incredible. >> soon the world learn the dimension of captain schettino's terrible mistake. news of three confirmed dead. and two french passengers and a crew member from peru. by early sunday, it will take a miracle to find more people alive and miracles happen. a korean couple trapped in their deck found alive and trapped. 30 hours after the ship ran

aground. a fat cry from inside of the ship. an italian crew member who broke his leg. he is flown back to the main land for treatment. and by monday death tollat six and tuesday the rescuers pull if you five more bodies and the tollreached len dead. it is revised from 16 to 29 x. among them two americans. minnesota couple. 69 and 70. they have spent their entire lives pinching pennies to put kids through private school . retirement was going to be their time and their dream vacation turned into a nightmare. >> wednesday, thursday, friday, searchers find no survivors or bodies. saturday, the victim and death

tollis 12. and 20 are missing and more than a week from the wreck time has all but run out. >> coming up. a scene unfolded on giglio, stories of horror ♪

reporting tragedy at sea. the island of depiglio is at the center of the disaster. they are tracking the story. the tiny island of giglio sleeps and awabings to this imagine. the cruise that ended on tragedy. >> for us it was our september 11th and our lives will not be

the same again. >> giglio was a fishing island with the clearest seas you can imagine. now it is a tranquil tourist destination and week after the costa concordia tragedy. giglio is a grim hunting ground for answers and clues for those miss bereaved family members come here for answers. his brother is missing. he made a personal appeal. >> i am here for my brother. if you see him, just say his brother is waiting outside for him. >> giglio is home of the matredeand his 82 year old father. that was not the only personal tie to the island. an old colleague of the ship's captain was a former admiral of the costa concordia cruise

line. he was not on giglio that friday night and that's how it began. captain schettino wanted to give a salute to the island. his sister posted on facebook. she wrote in a short period of time concordia ship will pass close. a big greeting to my brother who finally gets to have a holiday. captain schettino told them come and see we are right in front of giglio. and people here immediately knew something was wrong. he owns the hotel right on the coast a few hundred yards from the wreck. >> i went outside and then the lights went out. they said it was an electrical

problem. i knew it was more grave than that. and so did everybody else in giglio. residents realized faster than the passengers themselves just how much trouble that ship was in. locals rallying and gathering what too do to pripair for the survivors most of whom had a life jacket and clothes they were wearing when the ship ran aground. >> those with life vest would not reling issthem. and the next one were wet. in their desperation they had wam. it was hard to know who want who. the only thing that was clear no bon was in charge and it was chaos. >> the ship is close to shore. debris is washing up on the rocks and difficult for people to understand why it is so hard to locate the lost

unaccounted passengers. >> fox news went out to see the ship. ricardo talked about an elderly french woman. hypothermic and separated from her husband. >> my husband. pierre. he found the man who must have been pierre. he tried to resuscitate him. >> you don't realize. you just have abren lin . probably. captain schettino some say is the most hated man in italy for abandoning ship and not calling for immediate evacuation of the sinking vessel. it is an indignity that the commander of the ship left and others stayed on trying to help. molina is searching for daughter and 24 year old erica. the youngest child had worked for the costa cruise line for

three years as a waitress. we don't want her life eat with the fish or animals. >> they finally jumped on the life boat. her life boat listed and erica fell in the water and as of wednesday had not been seen or heard from. despite the seemingly damming awio tapes heard around the world. the hotel owner is not ready to condemn schettino. >> he did not abandon his ship. he was on a life boat. he realized he created a disaster and may have been in shock. he defends the captain saying he was unlucky and add that people on the island said sailors sail and those on land judge. the staff and waitresses were left to manage the situation on the sinking ship. >> they were the only ones on board.

they came out from the ship in the beginning, was the officers. >> he said the captain and top officers escaped to the rocks facing the ship. >> the captain and the others, they were on the rocks. he said he was on a rescue the ship. but we were here there was not a rescue ship with captain schettino. finally people worry about the potential problem if the fuel leaks in the sea. the residents have to wake to the disaster that will be forever linked to their home. >> coming up. who is the fran siso schettino, captain of the concordia and how hot is the concordia and how hot is the water he's in?

i remember the day my doctor told me i have an irregular heartbeat, and that it put me at 5-times greater risk of a stroke. i was worried. i worried about my wife, and my family. bill has the mos common type of atrial fiillation, or afib. it's not caused by a heart valve problem. he was taking warfarin, but i've put him on pradaxa instead. in a clinical trial, pradaxa 150 mgs reduced stroke risk 35% more than warfarin without the need for regular blood tests. i sure was glad to hear that. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding, and seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have a bleeding condition like stomach ulcers, or take aspirin, nsaids, or bloodthinners, or if you have kidney problems, especially if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all medicines you take, any planned medical or dental procedures, and don't stop taking pradaxa without your doctor's approval, as stopping may increase your stroke ri.

other side effects include indigestio stomach pain, upset, or burning. pradaxa is progress. if you have afib not caused by a heart valve problem, ask your doctor if you can reduce your risk of stroke with pradaxa. yes, it was.vice was very moving, wasn't it? i'm so glad we could be here for larry. at a time like this, friends and family matter most. even preparing this lunch is a help, emotionally and financially. mm, it's true. i was surprised to hear there was no life insurance. funerals are so expensive. i hope larry can afford it. i know. that's why i'm glad i got a policy through the colonial penn program. it gives me peace of mind to know i can help my family with some of those expenses. you know, i've been shopping for life insurance. do you think they have coverage for me, something that would fit into my budget? yes. you can get permanent coverage for less than 35 cents a day. if you're between 50 and 85,

your acceptance is guaranteed. you won't have to take a physical or answer any health questions. oh, really? with my health, i didn't think i'd qualify. you can't be turned down because of your health. plus, your costs will never go up, and your coverage will never go down. okay. i'm convinced. i'm going to give them a call. are you between the ages of 50 and 85? did you think that quality insurance at an affordable rate is out of your reach? if you answered yes to these questions, then you should call about the colonial penn program now. for less than 35 cents a day, you can get affordable life insurance with guaranteed acceptance. there are no health questions or medical exam. you cannot be turned down because of your health. so, whether you're getting new insurance or supplementing coverage you already have, join the six million people who have called about the colonial penn program. ask one of their representatives about a plan that meets your needs. they're waiting to hear from you, so call now. i've put this off long enough.

i'm definitely gonna call about the colonial penn program. >> he ran the cruise liner aground and ended up on a life raft while the passengers were on the vessel. some would not escape alive. is there any excuse for what captain schettino did in the horrifying scene. it is it a direct result of a reckless maneuver and combined by the captainallousness. >> we believe it is been human

error here. the captain did not follow the rulesment >> this is the actual course taken by the doomed vessel. concordia made a sweeping left tern. >> as you and i look at this. you know, it is obvious that the land is there . the rocks are there . how do you come that close and you take that risk in bringing the vessle to the point. inexcusable. >> now to the captain preposterous claim that he grounded his ship on an uncharted rock. >> on the nautical chart it was marked at water in a 150 meters from the rocks. we were 300 meters from the shore moro less. we shouldn't have had the contact.

>> having sailed the seas and using the nautical charts, i know that any mariner worth his salt would steer clear and obviously it screams at a away and it gets worse. concordia has been there before. in late tran scripts of schettino's interrogation. he admits he turned the massive vessel too late. i was navigating by site. he had done it three or four times. but this time i ordered the turn too late and ended up in water that was too hallow. i don't know why it happened. this is from lloyd of london, august 14th. 2011, last year, this blue line indicates the trip the same vessle took . barely missing the rock.

they knew it was a dangerous maneuver and from the investigation. underscore a growing rift between the cruise line and the cowboy company personally for the tragedy. captain claims that he informed his superiors after the wreck that he had messed up when he ran concornea on the reeve. the company refused contact. he was contact in real time. he shed light on the beczar behavior. water rushing in the stricken vessel. he demanded he and a blondee companion be served their dinner.

>> they wanted him to cook dinner and i asked jason what the captain was thinking? at that time, everything was falling apart including our cooking. i asked myself. what was he still there waiting for his dessert with what was happening? he is most hated man of italy was his behavior in the wake of the epick. ee single handedly handled. >> the caintain of tiitantic got women and children first. >> the captain is the last man off of the messle and should go down with the ship. schettino testified he fell off by accident saying he was all of the sudden the boat

listed and i got trapped and ended up in one of the life boats and that's why i was there. >> that's fine but why did you stay in the life knote. he knew what was happening there. >> herorism or cowardism. >> chutely. and in that instant. yeah. i have heard in russian media that the captain left the ship first. but this is not true. only one person came to his difference. the mystery blondee who accompanied him to the bizarre dinner as the ship was sinking. a cruise ship hostess and former dancer. she's the woman who was pol tishing off a decanter of wine

with the captain before he ran his vessel aground. >> he saved us and he did an extraordinary job. the crew did so. he saved more than 3000 people. >> facing manslaughter charges to the chagrin of the italian prosecutors he was released from jail and placed under house arrest. investigators say they are awaiting results of the alcohol and drug test. >> when we come back. has the wreck of the costa concordia cha

c>> countless teals of ancient time of men who sailed the seven seas in search of

adventure. as long as you have a price of a ticket you can be surrounded by the opulence of a safe voyage and safe return. which is why the wreck of the costa concordia has everyone asking how it being have happened. everyone knows tiitantic's tragic tale. there is other notable disasters in sea . 1956. an drea collides with the sock hom and goes off nantucket and 51 lives are lost. and wreck of the edmand fitzgerald on lake sister kill would 29 people. exxon valdez strikes a reef and spills oil. and travel writer. >> every time there say disaster at sea regulations get fixed. after the tiitantic standard

of life boats after a series of fires in the 1980s '90s it was international standard of fire alarms in every room. >> mike is a chairman of the board. >> what should change as a result of this? >> i think there will be a close look at manning and training of passenger vessels as a result of this. >> since 2005, 100 million people have taken cruise vacations. >> the particulars show cruise ships are one of the safest ways to travel. >> look at ship wide incidents fires and turbulence caused by bad waves and stormings, we have had less than 30 deaths by the same types of events that we saw on the concordia. no matter how safe, cruising industry must contend with the heart breaking story coming from the tuscan coast and

rippling around the globe, like that tragedy involving gerald and barbara hyatt from minnesota who put up their dream vacation until retirement and ended with this. their four children and 15 grandchildren and life long collection of friends holding a candle light vigil at home. scenes like this led to a flurry of cancellations according to jerry willis. >> one in 10 of people who were worried about the cruise cancelled the cruise that they booked. the entire industry will be affected. cruising was growing in a break neck pace. i don't think it is going to stop it, but the growth of the cruising industry will be slowed. >> a great cruise liner gives passengers a holiday from their world and takes them to far off places and can shield them of the reality of where

they are at sea. it is easy to forget that the ocean is implacable and no matter how sophisticated the technology or the surroundings or immense the vessel. nothing over comes human misjudgment or recklessness or callousness. i