Exclusive footage from Costa Concordia disaster part of new Discovery Channel documentary

Discovery Channel will be airing exclusive footage of Capt. Francesco Schettino and his crew from inside the Costa Concordia bridge assessing what to do next as passengers fight for survival — taken during the Jan. 13 incident in which the Italian cruise ship ran aground and began to sink — in the world-premiere special Cruise Ship Disaster: Inside the Concordia, premiering on the network this Sunday, Feb. 19, at 10pm ET/PT.

In the footage, Schettino is shown speaking by phone on the bridge, illuminated only by emergency lights after the power failed. He seems oblivious to the escalating emergency and the danger faced by the 4,200 passengers and crew. As the minutes tick by, an officer is heard shouting, “What shall we do? What shall we do?” Someone else cries, “General emergency!” But the order to abandon ship is still not given. Instead, Schettino is heard urgently asking for “tug boats.”

Cruise Ship Disaster dissects the anatomy of this crisis, enlisting forensic specialists from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy to investigate what went wrong. Reviewing the series of directives made by Capt. Schettino, the team of experts reveals that, in the end, the changing direction of the wind saved thousands of lives by pushing the sinking luxury liner closer to shore.