This night vision video was taken by one of the first rescue helicopters to arrive to the sinking site of the Costa Concordia, the cruise ship that ran aground on the island of Giglio, Italy.

Update: Check out the conversation between the captain of the ship and the port's captain below.

It must have been a terrifying experience. Imagine having to walk all the way down to the hull to be rescued by the ships below. All in the middle of the night and with almost no lighting.

European media is reporting that the victim count is now 11. Five bodies have just been recovered.

Rescue teams are now opening cabins with explosive charges, hoping to find the missing people still alive. Apparently, those who have been rescued in the last few hours were trapped inside their cabins. They couldn't open their doors because the electronic locks didn't have any electricity.

The authorities think that anyone still trapped above the water line would be alive, as there's enough food in each cabin. However, anyone in contact with the water would be dead by now, since the Mediterranean water is too cold this time of the year.

Night Vision Video of Concordia's Passengers Going Down the Hull After Captain Abandoned Ship (Updated)

The captain is still under arrest under charges of manslaughter, causing a shripwreck, and abandoning ship. The case prosecutor has made public new audio tapes showing the port authority ordering the captain to return to the ship a couple of hours after the accident. In the tapes, the captain seems completely disoriented and unable to make much sense.

In the tape, he repeatedly disobeys orders to return back to the ship immediately, saying that he's "coordinating the rescue" from a lifeboat. The investigation also shows that the crew mutinied on behalf of the passengers: they started the evacuation against the captain's orders. [Corriere della Sera (Italian), Corriere della Sera and Corriere della Sera (Italian)]


A view of the breached hull.

Audio of the port's captain ordering the ship's captain to return to ship. Make sure to turn on the close captioning to see the subtitles in English.