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Posted in Maritime Accidents,Maritime Law,Maritime Lawsuits,World Maritime News on January 19, 2012
GIGLIO, ITALY – Sandor Feher, a Hungarian violinist, has been identified as the first body recovered from the Costa Cruiseliner disaster on Wednesday, January 18th. Feher was a 38-year-old violinist from Hungary who was working as a musician on the ship at the time of the accident.
Photo shows Costa Cruise accident off the island of Giglio Italy. PHOTO: Max Rossi/Reuters
The Hungarian foreign ministry reports that Feher’s body was found inside the ship and was identified by his mother who traveled to the city of Grosseto, Italy.
The Southeast Missourian reports:
Eleven people have been confirmed dead so far, but the number of missing dropped to 21 Wednesday after a German passenger who was listed as missing was found alive back in Germany, the Grosseto prefect’s office reported. Italian officials have only released 27 names so far, including 12 Germans, six Italians, four French, two Americans and one person each from Hungary, India and Peru.
Jozsef Balog, a pianist who worked with Feher on the ship, told the Blikk newspaper that Feher was wearing a life jacket when he decided to return to his cabin to pack his violin. Feher was last seen on deck en route to the area where he was supposed to board a lifeboat.
According to Balog, Feher helped put life jackets on several crying children before returning to his cabin.
Others among the missing included a 5-year-old Italian girl and her father, an American couple from Michigan, several German retirees and crew members from Peru and India.
Due to the shifting of the ship, Italian rescue workers decided to suspend rescue operations on Wednesday due to safety issues so as not to endanger the lives of the divers and firefighters.
The captain, whose story has changed several times, remains under house arrest charged with manslaughter and abandoning the ship.