Cruise ship passengers stranded at sea after boat sinks off the coast of the Dominican Republic

On the evening of Friday, January 13, 2012, the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia struck a submerged granite reef off the coast of Isola del Giglio, Italy. The collision occurred at approximately 9:45 p.m. local time. The ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, had ordered an unauthorized and dangerously close maneuver to sail near the island in a “salute.” The reef, known as Le Scole, tore a 160-foot gash in the hull, causing immediate, catastrophic flooding that disabled the engine room and pow