Capt . Francesco Schettino abandoned the cruise liner Costa Concordia after it wrecked in 2012 while hundreds were still on board , according to testimony and recorded phone calls played in a court in Grosetto , Italy , on Monday . Gregorio Di Falco of the Livorno Port Authority , the man who repeatedly ordered Schettino to get back on board , told the court he initiated rescue efforts on his own after distressed passengers called police . He did n't wait for a distress signal from Schettino , whose information was inconsistent , he said . In phone calls played in court , Schettino said from a life boat that only a dozen people were still on board the ship , when the coast guard had reported hundreds . Schettino later adjusted his numbers saying it was indeed 200 to 300 . Schettino faces charges of manslaughter , causing a maritime disaster and abandoning ship with passengers still on board . He denies wrongdoing . The cruise liner capsized after it struck rocks off Italy 's Giglio Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea in January 2012 , killing 32 of the 4,200 people on board . Schettino 's trial is expected to continue for several weeks . Captain did n't fall , but jumped into lifeboat . Accident witnesses testify . Costa Concordia human remains believed to be found .
Captain of Costa Concordia abandoned ship with hundreds still on board , according to testimony , evidence . Information from Captain Schettino was unreliable and hindered rescue efforts , witness says . Comment: