Popular - Stricken ship captain erred

Costa Crociere, the owner of the luxury liner that ran aground off the coast of Italy, killing at least five people, said Sunday the vessel's captain had made "errors of judgement".

"It seems that the commander made errors of judgement that had serious consequences," said a statement from the company, which also acknowledged that emergency procedures had not been followed.

The company was cooperating with the prosecutors investigating the accident who on Saturday ordered the arrest of the captain, against whom serious allegations had been made, said the statement.

The company added that "...his decisions in the management of the emergency did not follow Costa Crociere's procedures which are in line with international standards."

Captain Francesco Schettino, who joined the company in 2002 as head of security before being promoted to captain in 2006, had completed all the necessary training for his post, Costa Crociere said.

The crew carried out evacuation exercises every two weeks and passengers also took part in an exercise within 24 hours of boarding for a cruise, it added.

Friday night's accident, when the massive luxury liner Costa Concordia hit rocks off the west coast of Italy, led to panic on board, passengers said.

Some lifeboats could not be launched because of the steep angle at which the stricken ship was leaning, and the poorly handled evacuation led to a free-for-all in the hunt for life jackets, said passengers.

Around 60 people were injured, including two seriously -- a woman with a blow to the head and a man struck in the spine, medical sources said.

Earlier, investigators identified the bodies of two men found on the stricken Italian cruise ship Sunday as an Italian and a Spanish national, ANSA news agency reported, citing informed sources.

The discovery of the bodies of the two elderly men brought the death toll from Friday's accident to five, with around 60 injured and 15 people still unaccounted for.

- AFP/wk

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