ITALY: Prosecutors have concluded their investigation into the shipwreck of the Costa Concordia cruise liner in which 32 people died and are preparing to seek a trial for its captain and seven other people.
Captain Francesco Schettino is accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship.
It was carrying some 4000 passengers and crew when it hit rocks and capsized after he brought it too close to the island of Giglio, off Tuscany.
Francesco Verusio, who headed the investigation in the Tuscan city of Grosseto, said he expected to file a request for an indictment at the end of January. He said Schettino faces up to 20 years in jail.
A judge will then decide if there is enough evidence to hold a trial.
The 114,500-tonne liner hit rocks after Schettino tried to perform a manoeuvre known as a "salute" – an attempt to show passengers the island and islanders the ship.
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