Tripped into lifeboat: captain of stricken ship

Captain Schettino was quoted by the La Repubblica newspaper as telling investigators he had not planned to leave the ship as it tilted toward the water.

Rescuers suspended operations Wednesday after the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia shifted on the rocks here as a farcical new twist emerged from the horrific accounts of the wreck,with the captain rebutting accusations he abandoned ship by saying he tripped during the panic on deck,fell overboard and ended up in a lifeboat.

The new explanation by the captain,Francesco Schettino,for why he vacated the 450 million vessel after he smashed into the rocks last Saturday,came after an earlier account of hitting an uncharted obstruction. Captain Schettino was quoted by the La Repubblica newspaper as telling investigators he had not planned to leave the ship as it tilted toward the water.

The passengers were pouring onto the decks,taking the lifeboats by assault, he said. I didnt even have a life jacket because I had given it to one of the passengers. I was trying to get people to get into the boats in an orderly fashion. Suddenly,since the ship was at a 60 to 70 degree angle,I tripped and I ended up in one of the boats. Thats how I found myself there.

The drama has captivated Italy,offering the land a national metaphor at a time of political uncertainty and economic challenge,a juxtaposition of hero and anti-hero: Captain Schettino,52,pilloried in the Italian media for leaving the ship prematurely,and Capt. Gregorio Maria De Falco,a coast guard officer,who tried to cajole him into returning.

Italys leading newspaper Corriere della Sera said the behaviour of the two captains contrasted the two souls of Italy one of them represented a cowardly fellow who flees his own responsibilities and the man who tries to bring him back to his responsibilities.

A sentence translated into English as Get back aboard! Damn it that Captain De Falco shouted to Schettino has become an icon in Italy,emblazoning T-shirts for sale on the Web. In an interview with a local newspaper here,Il Tirreno,Captain De Falco was quoted as saying: I am not a hero or an iron man. My team and I just did our duty. So far eleven bodies have been recovered and 21 people are missing.