Wait for all the facts

I have watched the Costa Concordia sail into Palma on numerous occasions. It was quite a sight. I remember marvelling at its sheer size and the beauty of its lines. It should have docked in Palma yesterday, because Tuesday was Majorca Day for the Costa Concordia. Now, this beautiful ship is lying on its side with a huge hole in its hull. The death toll from this tragic accident is continuing to rise and the public inquest into exactly what happened is continuing. There is a danger of trial by media.

The captain is being blamed and yesterday I listened in horror to a recording of the skipper of the liner talking to the Italian Coastguard on the radio who allegedly ordered him to return to the ship. However, a full investigation into the incident still has to take place and until the findings of this probe are known all reports are just speculation. Obviously, there are important questions which need answers; why did the captain leave his post? The captain is usually the last person to leave a stricken vessel. In this case he allegedly was one of the first. But his lawyer maintains that his actions saved the lives of hundreds of people. It will be the investigators who will have all the facts and will be able to rule on what exactly happened on that fateful night. I would caution against this trial by media eventhough there is obviously a major public interest in the story. All the facts are still not known and until the investigation has taken place we will not know the full picture.