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New satellite photograph helps put the disaster in perspective
While the rest of the world ponders how the massive Costa Concordia cruise ship could have been steered into shallow, rocky water by a seemingly experienced captain, the vessel itself remains lodged just off shore near the Italian island of Giglio. And while there has been no shortage of photos of the ship snapped from land, the satellite gurus at DigitalGlobe decided to see what the wreck looks like from the reaches of space.
The photo above was snapped with one of the company's two WorldView satellites — both of which offer amazing close-up shots of our planet. The amazing image shows the Concordia lying listlessly on its side like a beached whale, with smaller ships dotting the perimeter. It's a surreal sight, and remembering that the wreck has already claimed at least 11 lives gives it an even more somber tone.
The Concordia ran aground on January 13 when it made a close pass by the island of Giglio and subsequently struck a reef. Both the coast guard and Costa Cruises — the owner of the vessel — has put blame solely on the captain, who reportedly ignored well-marked nautical map warnings and risked the lives of all 4,229 on board.
[Image credit: DigitalGlobe]
This article originally appeared on Tecca
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