Costa Concordia purser rescue: banged pan on wall (photos, video)
He was the last person to be rescued from the Costa Concordia cruise ship and now he has told reporters how he had to get attention.
Manrico Giampedroni, who is the purser of the Italian cruise ship, says he had to bang a frying pan on a wall in order to get the rescuers to notice him.
"What a horrible situation to be in," says San Francisco resident, Donal Witham.
Manrico Giampedroni was on the listed ship for 36 hours before he could be rescued. He went to hospital in the town of Grosseto and has now been released.
The BBC reports that Giampedroni was helping to save passengers when he fell through an open door and landed in the restaurant of the ship.
He told BBC reporters: "I remember ending up in the Milan restaurant... A door opened suddenly and I fell in." The room was filled with tables and chairs that moved around in the water.
He continued: "To get the rescuers' attention, I used a pan to make some noise. From the windows, I could see the rescue teams and I tried to scream. When I saw the first fireman, I embraced him. Those guys were incredible. In three hours I was out of there."
As previously reported, one couple had called a friend during the tragedy to ask that he did not tell their daughter (See that story here: Italian cruise ship desperate calls: 'please don't tell my daughter about this')
It was on January 13, 2012 that the Italian cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, ran into a reef and sustained a gash that caused the boat to sink. Around 4,200 passengers and crew had to abandon ship.
As of now, 17 bodies have been found and another 16 people are still missing, presumed dead. (See article here: SF news: Costa Concordia, 17th body found, fuel removal delayed (video)).
At one point, the search for bodies was called off altogether (See that article here: SF learns: Costa Concordia search called off, bodies with life jackets found))
The Costa Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest while his actions are being looked into. He denies all wrong-doing, including abandoning ship. (See that article here: Costa Concordia captain says did not leave ship early (photos, video))
According to the BBC, Mr Giampedroni has told reporters he would still work on a cruise ship.
"As soon as I can, what I want more than anything, is to go back to work for Costa Cruises," stated Giampedroni.
Sources: BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ and USA Today: http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/story/2012-01-28/17th-body-found-on-cruise-ship-Fuel-removal-stalled/52839212/1?csp=24 and Examiner.com
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See photos and video on the left-hand side.
See these other Costa Concordia articles by this Examiner:
SF learns: Costa Concordia fake death scam emerges (Video)
SF news: Costa Concordia passengers told 'return to cabins, all under control'
SF news: Italy cruise ship, one couple handed over their baby (photos, video)
SF learns: Costa Concordia search called off, bodies with life jackets found)
Costa Concordia captain says did not leave ship early (photos, video)
Italian cruise ship desperate calls: 'please don't tell my daughter about this'
SF news: Italy cruise ship, one couple handed over their baby (photos, video)
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