Costa Concordia Passenger: Titanic Theme Played As Ship Hit Rocks

It was the height of irony as the Costa Concordia started going down.

A passenger has revealed that the Celine Dion song "My Heart Will Go On," made famous by the 1997 film "Titanic," was playing in one of the ill-fated cruise ship's restaurants at the very moment the ship's hull was ripped open.

Swissman Yannick Sgaga tells the Tribune de Geneve newspaper that he and his brother were dining when the Concordia struck rocks near the Italian island of Giglio, starting an evacuation that Sgaga called "a demonstration of incompetence, recklessness and irresponsibility."

"The images from the film 'Titanic' are more realistic than you'd think," Sgaga told the Tribune. "I couldn't get them out of my head."

It's unclear in which of the Concordia's restaurants Sgaga and his brother were dining or if any other passengers heard the sickeningly ironic soundtrack. But many other passengers have said the evacuation was bungled at best, with Capitan Francesco Schettino in a lifeboat rather than on the ship and amateur videos of the evacuation showing a dark, panicked scene.

Related on HuffPost:

Comments

[deeriley]

06:58 PM on 01/21/2012

The theme from Titanic never played; this is either a hoax perpetrated by the Daily Mail (which reported this first) or an Urban Legend that a few passengers wanted to get started.

[SockMuppet1]

10:32 PM on 01/19/2012

How. Ironic....

[mebemommee06]

02:11 PM on 01/19/2012

unlike the Titanic, this cowardly Captain didn't go down with the ship.. and those who died due to his malice , well, their hearts won't go on and on..

[Big Bill hayward]

01:46 PM on 01/19/2012

“Do not look at the purple flying saucer to the left of the headline photo . Just maybe the flying saucer was taking off from its underwater hiding place as the cruise ship was sailing above. and now the Saucer is back to exchange licenses and registrati ons. Send this to RENSE.com”

[Fletch55]

12:09 PM on 01/19/2012

The bigger thing is...does anyone see the metallic blue rod in the picture above in the upper left hand side.

[Lucille]

07:52 PM on 01/21/2012

Yes, what is that?

[DeeBee1947]

11:18 AM on 01/19/2012

My wife and I returning from honeymoon in Italy.Flight out of Naples was playing the safety video as we taxied around to the runway to take off. No one watching or taking much notice. BANG and the plan shudders to a halt all passengers go silent at which point the video came out loud and clear "..........and the aircraft has six emergency exits. Two at the front, two over the wings and two at the rear of the plane" said the voice from the video. The plane had run into a mobile staircase ...fortunately only damaging the wing, but enough to delay us 12 hours.

Yes it is feasable to call a muster drill before leaving port, I have been on two cruises with Fred Olsen and they managed it.

Dee Bee

[DennisTheMenance]

11:09 AM on 01/19/2012

This was NOTHING like the Titanic..It too Hours for it to sink, vs Minetes for teh Concorida
Titanic also was Level for HOURS before Listing and breaking Up, giving passneges More then plenty of time to Get off.. They just didn't have enouhg Life boats and Rafts..

This was WORSE!

over Half the Life boats and Rafts couldn't be used since the boat was On it's Side..
And try Walking Up the Side of your Wall in your Home.. That is what they had to do..

How so many more Didn't Die is a Mircacle! 10-15% Loss would be expected..
That's over 4-500 ...

[jokerdano]

09:32 AM on 01/19/2012

Every cruise ship should pass out the words to the song "nearer my God to thee." The last song of the Titanic. So if the ship starts sinking every one can sing this song as they board the life boats. This way every body is sing and would remain calm.

[Aunttie]

01:11 AM on 01/20/2012

Or they could sing "we all live in a yellow submarine""

[deltabluuz]

09:15 AM on 01/19/2012

I was fisrt critical of the captain jumping ship but after hearing they were playing Celine Dion music I can now certainly excuse his exit.

[rav1267]

09:30 AM on 01/19/2012

LMAO

[kenyatravels]

09:13 AM on 01/19/2012

The ship went down..mmmh

[bpd9227]

09:02 AM on 01/19/2012

More made up crap made into news by the HP. This is why no one who actually thinks takes this so-called "news source" seriously, but uses it as merely a form of amusing entertainment. You know, like a comic book or tabloid.

[wiseone816]

11:32 AM on 01/19/2012

Much like Fox "News"

[BBlaw16]

08:52 AM on 01/19/2012

"I couldn't get them out of my head" -- exactly.

[streve]

08:19 AM on 01/19/2012

Ok Yes the Crew should not have left, But my understanding is the ship was only out for about 3 hours when this happened,According to Maratime Law, They have to have a "Muster" Drill, or life boat drill with in 24 hours. Going on a cruise is very differant from flying, it takes anywhere from 8 to 12 hours for people to settle into Ship board life So to have a muster Drill within the first 8 to 10 hours is not really reasonable. THIS STILL DOES NOT CONDONE THE CREW LEAVING THE SHIP, But maybe it will help people better understand why it hadn't had a muster drill.

[fergiesmom2]

08:17 AM on 01/19/2012

I don't believe that. First off, if the ship you are on hits rocks, turns sideways and everything beings to fall, you aren't going to be tuned in to what music is being played in a dining room. All of your attention would be going toward SAVING yourself and others. And I don't believe the Captain tripped and FELL into a life boat,. He left to save himself and no other reason.

[ebuist1825]

06:35 AM on 01/19/2012

Maybe it would have turned out differently if they had been playing "Unsinkable Ships"? I suppose that wouldn't have helped any more than the Titanic, since she was dubbed unsinkable. One thing is apparent to me however, if the captain and his crew had the courage and devotion to duty as had Captain Smith, and his gallant crew, especially the ship's band aboard the Titanic, the death toll would have been much lower, and they would have earned the admiration of the entire world. But alas, except for a few remarkable members of the crew, these people took the coward's way out.

[streve]

08:23 AM on 01/19/2012

Research this, The Titanic was NEVER actually promoted, By White Star Line as "Unsinkable" a Magazine called shipbuilders, said" with all the technologie built into the ship, that she was VIRTUALLY UNSINKABLE", White star line Never corrected it, but nothing in any white Star lit. ever promoted the Titanic as Unsinkable.Although, the crew believed, it as well as the passangers, The Ship, By it's owner was never ever promoted as UNSINKABLE

[doitron2012]

08:46 AM on 01/19/2012

but your wrong if you want the truth ask me and ill tell you that what you said is a lie

[ebuist1825]

09:00 AM on 01/19/2012

Hi streve. I didn't say who said it, let alone White Star Line. I think what you're saying is correct however. When the news media was doing an interview before the Titanics' fateful voyage, they asked about the ship's safety features, and whomever they were interviewing said something like, "Why not even God could sink the Titanic"! Never insult God's abilities! :o)