Brussels, 09/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - Around a half of the French survivors of the Costa Concordia cruise disaster have agreed to accept €9,000 in compensation from the company Costa Crociere. This partly settles the litigation for 235 of the 456 French nationals who survived after the cruise vessels ran aground. Thirty-two people, including six French nationals, died. This agreement effectively closes the lawsuit between the company and this group of survivors, and will cost the company over €2 million. It does not, however, preclude the possibility of further legal action. Other survivors had previously accepted payment of €11,000 each in exchange for dropping all legal action. The Costa Crociere offer will remain on the table until November. Some 15 French survivors have lodged an action at the Nanterre court in pursuit of psychological examination and an interim payment of €50,000.
Nine people, including the captain of the vessel, are currently being investigated in Italy. The captain faces charges of causing multiple deaths through negligence, shipwreck and abandoning the vessel. (MD/transl.rt)