London:
An Italian woman has reportedly sued the owner of Costa Concordia luxury liner for a million euros in damages and compensation over her miscarriage following the cruise ship disaster last month.
The 30-year-old, identified only as Cristina M from Milan, was five months pregnant when she boarded the luxury liner on January 13 for a week-long cruise of the Mediterranean.
But she and her husband were forced to make a night-time evacuation of the ship when it grounded off the Tuscan island of Giglio after a collision with a rocky islet. She survived the ordeal but miscarried a week afterwards.
Now, Cristina has filed a suit for a million euros in damages and compensation, claiming that the terror and trauma of being involved in the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster caused her to have a miscarriage, 'The Daily Telegraph' said.
Cristina and her 40-year-old husband, an accountant, have joined a class action against Costa Cruises, the Genoa-based owners of the ship, to demand a million euros in compensation for the "material, biological and moral injury" they endured.
Some 17 people are so far confirmed to have died in the accident, although the death toll is expected to rise to 32, because 15 others are still missing.
The 950-feet-long liner ran into trouble just two hours after its departure from the port of Civitavecchia near Rome.
Its captain, Francesco Schettino, is being blamed for the mishap and is currently under house arrest.
Costa Cruises has offered passengers a lump sum of 11,000 euros each in compensation, provided they drop any other litigation. But the deal has been rejected by some passengers, including a group of six, who have filed a law suit in the US demanding 292 million pounds as compensation.