The trial of the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that sank off the coast of Italy last year, killing 32 people, will start on July 9 in Grosseto.
Francesco Schettino faces criminal charges including manslaughter and abandoning the ship before all the 4,200 passengers had been evacuated.
Schettino is accused of steering the ship too close to the Tuscan island of Giglio as a way of saluting the inhabitants and a veteran captain of the Costa line.
The vessel hit rocks that ripped a gash in its hull, causing it to capsize.
Schettino has always denied any fault, claiming his actions as the ship was sinking saved lives.
By Linsey McNeill, TravelMole UK
