Costa Concordia Captain Forgot His Glasses: Lawyer

The Costa Concordia's captain wasn't wearing his glasses and told the first officer to handle radar duties for him on the night disaster struck off the coast of Italy, according to the first officer's lawyer. Speaking at a pretrial hearing today in the Tuscan city of Grosseto, the lawyer also said his client, Ciro Ambrosio, was the only officer on the bridge to order an evacuation. "He ordered the lifeboats to be put to sea from deck number four," the lawyer said.

Captain Francesco Schettino is accused of multiple manslaughter and abandoning the cruise ship after it struck a rock and capsized. The accident left 25 people dead, with seven more still missing. Schettino, who is under arrest in his home near Naples, has admitted he sailed too close to shore but says he is not the only one at fault. During the hearing, the judge selected experts to examine data from the ship's black box—a process that may take up to three months, Reuters reports. (More Francesco Schettino stories.)