Italian Cruise Ship Disaster

On Friday January 13, 2012, a loud bang indicated that something was going terribly wrong on the Costa Concordia Italian cruise ship. The 4,000 people on board began to panic as the ship quickly came to a halt, and then became dark. Passengers starting to feel the boat shake, as people began running and dishes were being thrown. The boat tilted to the left, an hour later an emergency was announced, and then the shipped rolled again to the right. People began to pile in lifeboats, women and children were given priority, but others chose to swim and many were able to reach a nearby island called Giglo. In total, 11 passengers have been confirmed dead, while 30 others are still missing.

After the horrible Italian cruise ship accident, a House of Representative Committee, said it would hold a hearing to look into safety issues surrounding the cruise ship industry. This Titanic-like tragedy has alarmed the United States and International Maritime Organizations to review appropriate standards and measures that ensure passengers' safety aboard cruise ships. Just last year Congress passed a bill regarding cruise ship safety, but this bill focused on passenger behavior on the ships.

More information: http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/1095-other/204897-house-panel-schedules-hearing-on-cruise-safety-after-italy-accident and http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/1095-other/204897-house-panel-schedules-hearing-on-cruise-safety-after-italy-accident\

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