Captain of Italian Cruise Ship Saved Himself & Left Passengers to Drown (LISTEN)

Capt. Francesco SchettinoAll the details that have been emerging about the Costa Concordia, the Italian cruise ship that capsized over the weekend, are horrifying. As usual in the case of tragic accidents, the death toll is rising, and missing people remain just that -- missing. But the most terrifying details to come forth thus far are those that pertain to the ship's shady, cowardly captain, Francesco Schettino.

In addition to reports that a passenger -- not Schettino -- was the first person to call for help after the ship hit something, it's now been brought to light that Schettino refused to get back on board to help save sinking passengers after he got off. His conversation with Italian Coast Guard Capt. Gregorio De Falco, who was demanding he get back on the boat, has been released. Prepare to be infuriated and flat-out shocked.

A full transcript has been released, but check out this snippet:

De Falco: "Schettino? Listen Schettino. There are people trapped on board. Now you go with your boat under the prow on the starboard side. There is a pilot ladder. You will climb that ladder and go on board. You go on board and then you will tell me how many people there are. Is that clear? I'm recording this conversation, Cmdr. Schettino ..."

Schettino: "Commander, let me tell you one thing ..."

De Falco: "Speak up! Put your hand in front of the microphone and speak more loudly, is that clear?"

Schettino: "In this moment, the boat is tipping ..."

De Falco: "I understand that, listen, there are people that are coming down the pilot ladder of the prow. You go up that pilot ladder, get on that ship and tell me how many people are still on board. And what they need. Is that clear? You need to tell me if there are children, women or people in need of assistance. And tell me the exact number of each of these categories. Is that clear? Listen Schettino, that you saved yourself from the sea, but I am going to ... I'm going to make sure you get in trouble .... I am going to make you pay for this. Go on board, (expletive)!"

Schettino: "Commander, please ..."

De Falco: "No, please. You now get up and go on board. They are telling me that on board there are still ..."

Schettino: "I am here with the rescue boats, I am here, I am not going anywhere, I am here ..."

Wow. He was supposed to be the captain of a ship, right? Hey, here's a tip, Schettino: If you're not prepared to do your job and help save other people's lives, don't become the captain of a ship! It's kind of like that rule that applies to sitting in the exit row on airplanes -- if you're not prepared to help others out in the event of an emergency, you don't sit there. Passengers on the Costa Concordia helped other passengers out, for crying out loud. What is wrong with this man?

After repeatedly refusing to obey De Falco's orders (and using excuses like, “You realize it’s dark and we can’t see anything?"), Schettino made it back to land safely. Shortly after getting out of a taxi, he was arrested. He's being accused of manslaughter and abandoning the Costa Concordia when passengers were still on board, as well as causing the accident that left at least 11 people dead. I say good. It's the least that can be done for the 11 people -- probably more -- who didn't make it.

Check out an interview with Schettino:

And even more creepy, check out the audio from Schettino and De Falco's conversation:

How utterly insane is this?

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