almost immediately, the focused turned on the captain, francesco schettino. he claims he tripped falling into a lifeboat, rather than intentionally abandoning ship. schettino also claims he was alone at the helm of the ship at the time of the accident. but several crew members told abc's chris cuomo he was at dinner. >> you saw him eating at 10:30 at night? >> yeah. >> reporter: this has shocked italy. >> do you realize it's dark out there. and we can't see anything. >> it's dark, so you want to go home? get on the stern of that ship. climb the ladder. and tell me, what can be done. >> reporter: in fact, the coast guard captain is now seen as a hero by many, imploring schettino to get back on the ship. schettino was hired in 2002, initially as a safety officer. and he became a captain in 2006. in 2010, he gave an interview to a czech newspaper saying, quote, i like the moment when something unpredictable happens. what derails you from the standard procedure. it is a challenge to deal with, which i enjoy. the captain insists the crew and the cruise company kne

captain schettino is ordered at least ten times to go back on board to oversee the evacuation. he resists. [ speaking foreign language ] >> schettino seems to contradict himself again by then saying he did not abandon the ship. >> what's clear is that schettino had lost control of the situation and was unaware of what was happening on board his own ship. >> that one has now grown to more than 10 dead and there are still nearly two dozen missing. schettino has never been involved in an accident before and his lawyer says his actions after the crash saved the lives of many of the passengers and crew members. so all eyes are now on the recovery of the ship's data recorders, to see if they might prove schettino was indeed a hero or a captain who abandoned its ship and its thousands of passengers. >> the italian coast guard says they've located a second black box. do we know when they're going to actually be able to retrieve that and when we may get answers on the night of what happened the night of the crash exactly? >> reporter: at the moment, they're still saying they're concentr

captain schettino, at this point, he was safely away. on the phone, on the phone with the coast guard commander at that time. in tapes released today, he tells them that he and his officers are on a life boat. he mentions he thinks there are still about 100 passengers on board, the coast guard commander is stunned. he's flabbergasted. first, he tells the captain to get his man back on board the ship to take care of the remaining people. then, after a number of excuses from the captain, he goes ballistic. >> the captain schettino was not on the last life boat. his own taped conversation confirmed that. he left passengers and crew behind and knew he left them behind. and the rocks, he should have never been near them. this was the line that the con cord yeah was on. the yellow line is the line they should have taken, the pink line takes them to giglio. the rock was not indicted on his chart. we don't know precisely which rock he hit, but map that all mariners use, you can see there are many rocks in the area. the little dots surrounding th

as the search continued, the ship's captain francessco schettino was in court, charged with manslaughter, causing a wreck and abandoning ship. which an audio recording now reveals, in a heated phone conversation off the ship friday night, a few hours after the accident with furious port authority captain. >> reporter: schettino gives several reasons why he says he's staying put near the ship, quote, coordinating. >> reporter: schettino claims he's going, but prosecutors say he never did return. even as passengers fought to escape that stricken ship. after days in jail, today the captain was released and placed under house arrest and his attorney claims he may have saved many lives by acting quickly to beach the ship, otherwise it may have sunk completely in deeper water. brian? >> michelle kosinski reporting from there tonight, thanks. harry smith has also been at the wreck reporting for last night's broadcast at rock center. tonight, he has an exclusive closeup look at the ship with an american named jim fee who was a sea captain on the same waters for almost three decades. >> the peopl

. >> i called him captain schettino. >> what did you call president obama? >> we're going to call him schettino. >> add disgraced ship's captain to that catalog of epitaphs. >> captain coward, captain schettino. >> the captain of that cruise ship. >> it's a fair analogy. >> that ship captain a facing charges. >> schettino under house arrest. >> the more interested in campaigning than doing his job as president. >> an analogy that michael steele deems inappropriate. >> i think it's an unfortunate analogy. >> michael steele was the most gaffe-prone rnc chairman in history. >> it was terrible, people died. >> jay carney called priebus, quote, desperate for attention. >> there's justice coming in this drama. >> democrats and the obama campaign armed with new ammo. >> i know the speaker is not real happy. >> romney will pay for what he did to newt here in florida. >> the speaker's been attacking me all over the state. >> he is for all practical purposes a liberal. i am a conservative. >> i wish i could claim that i'm a hispanic. >> so if for no other reason rage

>> i'm going to say, schettino said. new individual dwroe was acquired today, should help investigators to understand what happened on the night of the crash and what captain schettino was doing. >> and staying overseas. nigeria is warning employees to warn against traveling after 143 people were killed in coordinated bomb and gunfire attacks. it's the latest in the campaign of terror, by groups looking to expose islamic law. and embattled president of yemen has been clinging to power after 33 years is a step closer to coming to america tonight. many officials say the outgoing president will leave for yemen soon. he was wounded in an assasination attempt last june. >>> new images from space. as they soared above stormy africa. lightning strikes and lights you see off the distance. that's the milky way. a view of 200 miles up on a saturday night. still ahead this saturday. great escape, how a 9-year-old stood up to her kidnapper in the moments her mother learned she was free. >>> controversial math home work about slaves

the port official tells schettino just how serious the situation has become. there are already bodies. go. officer, how many bodies are there? i don't know. i've heard about one. you must tell me. do you realize it ice dark out here? you want to go home? it's dark? so, you want to go home? get on the bow of that ship, climb the rescue ladder, and tell me what can be done, how many people are there and what they need. the captain's final explanation seems unlikely. we can no longer get on board now. the ship has sunk completely. and with 100 people still onboard, you abandon ship? i did no abandon any ship. the ship was sinking. so, we jumped in the water. we'll clarify later what actually happened. for now, tell me everything that goes on. but the captain never returned aboard the vessel, where he was desperately needed, says passenger karen kois. >> mass hysteria. you could see the crew members panicking. you knew there was no leadership on the boat. >> reporter: she and lynn kaeling are appalled by that captain's apparent escape. >> he's a coward. we're figh

>> i'm going to say, schettino said. new surveillance video was uncovered from the "costa concordia" including the ship's bridge which should help investigators understand what happened on the night of the crash and what captain schettino was doing. david. >> and staying overseas. nigeria is warning employees to warn against traveling after 143 people were killed in coordinated bomb and gunfire attacks. it's the latest in the campaign of terror, by groups looking to expose islamic law. and attackers hit police stations and immigration offices in the newest deadly assault. and embattled president of yemen has been clinging to power after 33 years is a step closer to coming to america tonight. many officials say the outgoing president will leave for oman soon and head to the u.s. for medical treatment. he was wounded in an assasination attempt last june. >>> new images from space. taken by the crew of the international space station as they soared above stormy africa. lightning strikes and lights you see off the distance.

. >> reporter: francesco schettino arrives through a side door.t is actually a local theater being used for these preliminary hearings to accommodate the crowds from several nations. survivors, families of the 32 who did not make it off the costa concordia. some said they wanted to look the captain in the eyes. also here, lawyers representing hundreds of passengers. >> we felt that he did not seem very remorseful or very sorry about what has happened on the ship. he seemed very confident. >> reporter: just as we've seen some of the panic on board, thousands of people scrambling for life boats, jumping into the water after the colossal ship struck rock too close to the island. now we hear the ship's black box. that's captain schettino in those moments, ordering the ship to be durand abruptly. >> reporter: we talked to costa cruises. they blamed the whole thing on schettino and called his suggestion that there might have been a mechanical failure a colossal absurdity. lawsuits against the parent company says other thing. not enough crew training and

schettino. he wants his job back alonging wrongful termination. back to you. >> if the captain is convict, he could save seven life sentences. >>> several paintings were snatched off the wall of a museum in the netherlands. they include works by picasso and monet. they are estimated at more than $100 million. police are analyzing the surveillance video at the museum. the thieves triggered an alarm but they got away before the cops showed up. the art experts say the thieves may be looking for a ransom. >>> the sky out there was looking like a paining. turquoise blue with fluffy white clouds. >> this is one of the best times of the world. the temperatures, nice and cool in the morning. you see the temperatures and it is a day to enjoy it. today was that kind of day. i think we're in for a couple more and the temperature warm up the next few days. take a look at this shot. that is just gorgeous. the sun is its way toward the capital. we'll see a nice evening with a high today of 65 degrees. that with plenty of sunshine. we average 68 to 69 degrees. t

schettino okay, i'm doing it. the newspaper reports the captain never went back to the ship. >> now, we're not clear whether that's cell phone transmissions or radio transmissions, but that news paper is a bona fide newspaper. really just remarkable material. you can bet your bottom dollar that that is going to end up in court. we do want to get you up to speed on what's happening now. that captain who steered the ship into the rocky italian coast is about to go before a judge and be questioned today. he says he just hit rocks that weren't on his charts. cnn has been in the courtroom and she's joining us now on the line. so many questions. i think just give us the run down on the first thing that's happening in court with regard to this captain. >> that's right. the captain is in court right now. he's sitting in front of a a female judge whether that's going to make a difference or not, we don't know. but he's with his lawyer and the prosecutor who has very damning information against him right now. but his lawyer

despite the orders, captain schettino never returned to the ship. prosecutors are expected to file criminal charges against him by the end of the week. while in custody, the authorities took hair and urine samples to determine if schettino was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. meanwhile, a dutch salvage company is in the early stages of removing the ship from the coastline. the firm will start by pumping out the 500,000 gallons of fuel aboard the ship. a company official says the tanks appear in intact and no fuel has leaked out. but there is concern that leaking fuel could cause an environmental disaster. the wreckage site is located in a sanctuary for marine mammals. the economic impact of the disaster could be far-reaching. insurance analysts estimate claims could total up to as much as a billion dollars. carnival cruise lines which owns the ship saw its stock price fall nearly 14% yesterday. >>> now, to what has the potential to be a major winter storm that is hitting the pacific northwest. an area better known for rain than snow. winter

look, schettino, you may have saved yourself from the sea. but you'll put you through a lot of trouble. it will be very bad for you. get back onboard. schettino, the veteran captain always popular among passengers, is seen here being cheered in happier times. now, with his ship going down, he has no good answers. officer, please. there are no pleases. get back onboard. the official tells schettino just how serious the situation has become. there are already bodies. go. officer, how many bodies are there? i don't know. i've heard about one. you must tell me. do you realize it's dark out here and we can't see anything? you want to go home? it's dark? so, you want to go home? the captain's final explanation seems unlikely. we can no longer get onboard now. the ship has sunk completely. and with 100 people still onboard, you abandon ship? i did no abandon any ship. the ship was sinking. so, we jumped in the water. we'll clarify later what actually happened. for now, tell me everything that goes on. everything. but the captain never returned aboar

one day in a prison for a long time. >> reporter: still industry analysts using satellite data say schettino took a virtually identical route last year which they say was authorized and charted. >> must have come perilously close, within touching distance. >> reporter: schettino may have had reason to believe this path was safe. tonight it was really threatening the search, the stability of the ship and the fuel situation are waves, tonight expected to reach six feet high, storms on the way. it's been tough for everyone to look at this day after day and know they're losing time. brian? >> michelle kosinski on the italian coast with the wreckage behind her thanks. >>> now to the middle east, inside syria where we're on the ground tonight after ten months of protest and more than 5,000 dead in the uprising, the government crackdown there, and the hope for a solution is dwindling, nbc's eamon mohidine, one of the few damascus journalists, good evening. >> reporter: brian there was real hope from arab league observers they'd find a solution to the conflict but today as the fact-finding mission w

reporter: the ship's captain, francesco schettino was released from jail and is under house arrest at his home near naiples. italian media reports that during a three-hour hearing, the captain told investigators he didn't flee the ship, but he actually tripped and fell into a lifeboat when the cruise liner started to tip over. schettino faces charges of causing the ship wreck, manslaughter and abandoning ship. >> he has done work. he will pay for his wrongdoing, he will pay for his wrong decision. reporter: dutch salvage crews are moving equipment into place to remove 500,000 gallons of fuel from the ship. extracting the fuel could take as long as four weeks. anna matranga, cbs news, giglio, italy. >> so far the death toll stands at 11 and 22 people are still missing. >>> still to come when 9 news now continues, maryland governor martin o'malley unveils his new budget. we'll tell you about some of his priorities. >>> plus republicans on capitol hill are set to vote on raising the debt ceiling again. will it set the stage for another grueling battle? we'll have details on these stories

>> i called him captain schettino, you know, the captain that fled the ship in italy. that is our own president who is fleeing the american people and not doing his job and running around the country and campaigning. >> you made me think of it with the ships behind you, bob. >> i see what you are saying. but what you are saying is, you think that somehow this is going to strengthen the party? it is not going to hurt it in any way don't you think that you run the risk of seeing some of these things that republicans are saying about each other showing up in barack obama's campaign ads? >> listen, hillary clinton had a famous ad she used against barack obama, the 3 am call, you may remember that and that was the ad that hillary clinton put up who do you want to answer the phone at 3:00 a.m., devastating ad against 3:00 a.m., we tried to use it against barack obama, it didn't work. in the end it is going to be a referendum on barack obama. did he fulfill the promises that he made to the american people? did he live uh up to the standards that barack obama set for himself o

there are already bodies, schettino. schettino, how many bodies are there? i've heard of one. you are the one who is supposed to tell us how many there are, the coast guard speaking. here is the captain, but do you realize it is dark here and we can't see anything? coast guard, around so what? you want to go home, schettino? it's dark? and you want to go home, get on that prow of the boat, using the pilot ladder around tell me what can be done, how many people there are and what their needs are. now! eventually, schettino says he will return on board but the coast guard denies he ever went back. harry? >> no, there were people -- there were people who saw this guy in a lifeboat. there were still, you know, maybe several hundred people still on board the ship and there were people out in the water that said, oh, my god, that's the captain of the ship. he is in a lifeboat. there are even reports that he was on -- on his cell phone with his mother while there were still people on the ship. he is on shore on his cell phone telling his mother he is okay. >> let m

> reporter: schettino claims h he's going, but prosecutors say he never did return. even as passengers fought to escape that stricken ship. after days in jail, today the captain was released and placed under house arrest and his attorney claims he may have saved many lives. otherwise he may land in deeper water. >> thank you for reporting tonight. harry smith has been at the scene of the wreck. tonight, harry has an exclusive closeup at what the costa concordia, with an american named jim fee who was a sea captain on those wasame waters r nearly 30 years. >> the people were going down on these lines, they were getting down into the water with those ropes. you see the lifeboats couldn't be launched. it really is something to see a ship this size keeled over. it's amazing. it's a real disaster. they were people who were trying, attempting to jump off the deck into the water from high up, abandoning the ship was not a simple task for all these folks. you had a lot of old people, people, they were sitting down for dinner at the time. the people in the decks below are the

schettino has not been charged formally, but that could happen soon.nk you, scott. we should note that they say the industry standards in america, here in the u.s., are much more stringent than those overseas. which is important. 10 million americans expected to take cruises this year, and right now is a peak time for bookings. >> and the divers having a horrible time navigating. they say it's like a labyrinth. just an unbelievable maze trying to navigate and maneuver. and you can only imagine how confusing it is when you're on a cruise. but trying to rescue people when it's on its side, submerged. >> amazing. plus environmental concerns. a lot going on in this. so we'll stay on top of that story the next couple of days. >>> police in atlanta say they have very few leads as they search for a woman missing since just after christmas. stacey english was reported missing by her family during the last week of december. her volvo was found with its engine running near a small lake. divers have been searching there for the last two days and are expected back

. >> reporter: the captain many are calling the most hated man in italy, francesco schettino, seen here greeting passengers before the voyage. he says he hopes it will be an unforgettable journey for them. friday night after he took the ship off course, hit rock and left before desperate passengers did, he insisted to the furious port authority he did not abandon ship and reportedly told prosecutors he tripped and fell right into a lifeboat. >> he will go one day in a prison for a long time. >> reporter: still industry analysts using satellite data say schettino took a virtually identical route last year which they say was authorized and charted. >> must have come perilously close, i mean possibly within touching distance. >> reporter: schettino may have had reason to believe this path was safe. tonight what is really threatening the search, the stability of the ship and the fuel situation are waves, tonight expected to reach six feet high, storms on the way. it's been tough for everyone to look at this day after day and know they're losing time. brian? >> michelle kosinski on the itali

>> i called him captain schettino. the captain that fled the ship in italy. that is our own president who is fleeing the american people and not doing his job and running around the country and campaigning. >> the captain of the italian cruise ship faces criminal charges in the deaths of at least 17 people. he is accused of abandoning the ship even people within the republican party said he was out of line with the comments. but he defended himself on fox news today. >> this is ridiculous, megan. analogy was made and analogy of leadership in a time of crisis, in a time of crisis this president is leaving the white house and campaigning non-stop all the time. i think it's pretty clear. >> actually, it was paralleling the alleged criminal act of a ship captain. and that's what the head of the grand old party thinks of the president of the united states? they have no boundaries, they will go as low as they have to go. obama derangement syndrome is trickling down. remember this photo from last week with arizona governor jan brewer shoving her finger in the presid

>> pelley: allen, what do we know about captain schettino? >>>> reporter: well, he comes from the naples area, scott. there's an area that produces a lot of italy's ferry and cruise boat senior officers. he was made a captain in 2006. some people describe him as being very personable and as far as is known he hasn't done anything wrong prior to this. >> pelley: allen, thank you very much. the size of ocean liners has increased by about 50% in just the past decade as measured by their gross tonnage. have a look. in its day, the "titanic" was the largest. it could carry 3,320 passengers and crew. the "costa concordia" had a capacity of 4,900. the largest today, the "allure of the seas" holds 8,700. how do you evacuate a ship that large? we asked mark strassmann to look into it. >> reporter: the "emerald princess" was in fort lauderdale preparing for a ten day caribbean cruise, the ship stands 20 stories tall, similar in size to the "costa concordia." 15 decks carry more than 4,000 passengers and crew. roughly 100 megaships carry at least 2,000

more than 1,000 survivors, their relatives and lawyers attended captain francesco schettino's preliminary hearing. he's accused of causing the costa concordia to capsize off the coast last january and abandoning ship. he's accused of manslaughter. 32 passengers and crew members died in that accident. the report places most of the blame on the captain and part on the ship's owners, american- based caival corporation the parent company. victims' lawyers say that is really who is to blame. >> the standards that were set by carnival in the united states are completely inadequate and that the real changes that need to be made are to be made in these standards in the united states. >> if the judge does order a trial for schettino, it probably won't start before the end of the year. >>> we saw sprinkles earlier and you may have been in a part of town nassau heavy rain. topper will tell us -- that saw heavy rain. topper will tell us if it's moved out or on the way. >> plus a mackdown of hulk hogan. who is he suing after a sex tape of him with a woman is leaked? >>> hulk hogan would probably like

it was his fault. >> reporter: schettino is facing charges of manslaughter and causing a ship wreck. jeffrey kofman, abc news, london. >>> and coming up on "world news," extreme turbulence. 15 seconds of terror at 30,000 feet. passengers afraid for their lives. and our reporter takes a wild ride of his own, to find out just how dangerous that really was. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. for many, nexium helps relieve heartburn symptoms caused by acid reflux disease. osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels have been seen with nexium. possible side effects include headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. talk to your doctor about nexium. this is my grandson. and if it wasn't for a screening i got, i might have missed being here to meet him. the

there are already bodies, schettino. go. do you realize it's dark out here and we can't see anything what do you want to do? do you want to go home? it's dark to you want to go home? the captain's final explanation seems unlikely. i can no longer get on board now, the ship has sunk completely. with 100 people still on board you abandoned ship. i did not abandon any ship. the ship was sinking so we jumped in the water. we'll clarify later what actually happened. for now, tell me everything that goes on. everything. but the captain never returned aboard the vessel. where he was desperately needed. >> a coward. we're fighting for our lives. he's more concerned about himself. >> reporter: chris cuomo, abc news, rome italy. >> definitely cowardly behavior there. more on the case against the captain on "good morning america" later on at 7:00. >>> we turn to a more upbeat assessment of the economy. from an abc poll released overnight. 68% of those polled say the country is on the wrong track. that number is down from 77%. 45% are s

schettino has come under heavy fire. the company that owns the cruise liner said he didn't follow the approved route and human error likely caused the deadly accident. a judge questioned the captain behind closed doors tuesday. the captain faces charges of causing shipwreck abandoning the ship and manslaughter. anna matranga. cbs news, italy. >>> two northern californians aboard the costa concordia before it ran aground are happy to be home this afternoon the the couple flying into sfo last night greeted by their son. the pair was lucky enough to get off the italian cruise liner the day before the crash on friday. they say they aren't surprised about the ship's accident. >> we actually met the captain several times, his table -- the captain's table was right next to ours at our dinner seating and my first impression, i even told my wife, i says, you know, that captain there doesn't care about anybody but himself. just the whole air about him, uhm, you know, and then that's just a first impression so... >> he did add, how

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