ITALY: The captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship has appeared in court to hear the evidence against him.

Passengers who survived the liner trage-dy and families of the 32 who died were there "to look him in the eye".

The case of Francesco Schettino, 51, generated so much interest that a theatre had to be turned into a courtroom in the Tuscan city of Grosseto to accommodate all those allowed at the closed-door hearing.

Schettino listened to proceedings, where his lawyers objected to some of the evidence.

The Concordia ran aground and capsized after Schettino took it close to the Tuscan island of Giglio last January.

Schettino became a lightning rod for disdain for having left the ship before everyone was evacuated.

Hearings this week will help decide whether the judge will order a trial for Schettino, who denies accusations of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship while people were still aboard.

He has not been charged.

Survivors, victims' relatives and their lawyers were at the hearing on the evidence against nine people in all.

Survivor Michael Liesson, 50, said: "We want to look him in the eye to see how he will react to the accusations."