Costa captain not wearing glasses, says first officer

The captain of the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner was not wearing his glasses on the evening of the accident and asked his first officer to check the radar for him, the officer's lawyer said yesterday at a hearing held in the Tuscan city of Grosseto.

The liner capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio after hitting a rock on 13 January, killing at least 25 people, with seven still unaccounted for.

Prosecutors have accused Captain Francesco Schettino of causing the disaster by bringing the ship too close to shore. The ship's first officer, Ciro Ambrosio, and seven other officers and executives are also under investigation.

Mr Schettino's lawyer did not specifically address the latest accusations levelled by the first officer against the captain.