Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corp. the parent company of Costa Cruises, responded to confirmed reports that the remains of more victims have been located in the wrecked Costa Concordia.
The death toll from the Concordia crash is at 11, and at least 24 are missing, according to reports.
“We are deeply saddened by the reports of additional deaths following the grounding of the Costa Concordia. On behalf of the entire Carnival Corporation & plc team, I offer our heartfelt condolences to all of those families affected by this tragedy,” said Arison.
The company’s immediate priority, he said, continues to be supporting rescue and recovery efforts and looking after surviving guests and crew members, along with securing the vessel to ensure there is no environmental impact.
“My senior management team and I have been in continuous contact with the Costa executive team in Italy, and we have our senior-level technical experts on the ground to provide additional support for this tragic and highly unusual incident,” Arison said.
“While this is a terribly sad time for everyone involved, we want to recognize the tremendous efforts of Concordia’s crew, who along with the Italian Coast Guard and authorities, helped to evacuate more than 4,000 passengers and crew members from the ship in very difficult conditions. And we continue to offer our deep gratitude to the Italian authorities for their support and ongoing efforts,” said Arison.
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