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New Pictures of Costa Concordia Released

A few of the dramatic images from the final moments of the Costa Concordia have been released, showing the ocean liner leaning on its side and with lifeboats scattered throughout the black water.

Pictures of the ship have been floating around the news and internet ever since the ship hit the rocks off the island of Giglio, which show the semi-submerged ship and its surrounding area.

These recently released pictures are the first from the early moments of the tragedy. The ship is still brightly lit, with the pictures showing the ship how it looked prior to the disaster. These new pictures and the illumination of the ship show how it tilted and how far it has tilted since the initial crash.

The captain, Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest in his Naples home. He says that captains have been discouraged to diverge from approved courses and sail close to the islands so the passengers can get the ‘complete experience.’ Police tapes have revealed a conversation with his friend from 24 hours after the crash. It said:

“Management was always saying ‘pass by there, pass by there’. Someone else in my position might not have been so amenable to pass so close but they busted my balls, pass by there, pass by there, and now I’m paying for it.”

“My husband is at the centre of an unprecedented global media storm,” Rossi Schettino, the captain’s wife, said. “Who is at sea sails, who is on soil judges. I cannot think of any other naval or air tragedy in which the responsible party was treated with such violence… This is a manhunt, people are looking for a scapegoat, a monster. It’s shameful.”

There are still 16 people missing and 16 have already been confirmed dead. Oil will be pumped out of the vessel this weekend, which is projected to take at least four weeks to complete.

Jim Vassallo: Jim is a freelance writer based out of the suburbs of Philadelphia in New Jersey. Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and minor in Journalism from Rowan University in 2008. While in school he was the Assistant Sports Director at WGLS for two years and the Sports Director for one year. He also covered the football, baseball, softball and both basketball teams for the school newspaper 'The Whit.' Jim lives in New Jersey with his wife Nicole, son Tony and dog Phoebe.

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