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Costa Concordia Disaster Videos: Amateur Footage Shows Passenger Evacuation, Panic

WATCH: Amateur Videos Show Panic As Cruise Ship Capsizes
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According to Italian media reports, the captain of the Costa Concordia initially told authorities that there had simply been a "small technical failure."

After the luxury cruise liner hit rocks and capsized off the coast of Italy on Friday, amateur footage captured by passengers emerged showing harrowing scenes of the accident.

Now, a video shot by a German passenger on board the stricken cruise ship reveals that passengers were told that the problem was "an electrical fault."

"On behalf of the captain to inform you that due to an electrical fault, which is currently under control, we are currently in a blackout," a member of the crew announces over the cruise ship's speaker system.

"Our technicians are working to resolve the situation and we will inform you of developments as they occur. Thank you for your attention," he continues.

The Huffington Post U.K. reports on the captain's earlier attempt to downplay the disaster:

According to reports the captain, Francesco Schettino, claimed there was only a "small technical failure" -- but in fact the Costa Concordia had already run aground, according to the timings of a radio conversation obtained by Italian media.

The question from a port official came at 9.49pm on Friday over the ship radio: "Concordia, is everything ok?"

The response from the ship was "positive", Il Fatto Quotidiano reported.

But five minutes later the operations room at Livorno port was said to have contacted the liner again after a passenger had allegedly reported a problem and mentioned the word "shipwreck".

The inquiry was reportedly again met with the response: "It is just a technical problem."

Later, the captain got into a heated conversation with a member of the Italian coastguard, who ordered the captain to return to the ship to report on the status of the remaining passengers and assist with the evacuation.

WATCH amateur videos of the ship's evacuation in the slideshow below:

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Before You Go

Costa Condordia
(01 of11)
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Rescuers work on the cruise ship Costa Concordia as lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio, on January 17, 2012 in Giglio Porto, Italy. More than four thousand people were on board when the ship hit a rock off the Tuscan coast. At least 11 people have been confirmed dead and another 24 missing. (Laura Lezza/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(02 of11)
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The cruise ship Costa Concordia lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio, on January 17, 2012 in Giglio Porto, Italy. (Laura Lezza/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(03 of11)
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Firemen approach the hole created in the side of the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 17, 2012. Italian prosecutors called on Tuesday for the arrested captain Francesco Schettino of a luxury cruise liner which sank off the coast of Italy to remain in custody. 'The prosecutors have asked the judge to confirm the detention,' head prosecutor Francesco Verusio told journalists, adding that a decision on whether captain Francesco Schettino would be given bail had yet to be taken.(FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(04 of11)
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This underwater photo taken on January 17, 2012 at the 'Le Scole ' rock shows wreckage of the cruise liner Costa Concordia after it ran aground in front of the Isola del Giglio harbor. The captain of the doomed Italian cruise liner denied on January 17, 2012 he had abandoned ship, as rescue divers found another five bodies in the wreckage, bringing the death toll to 11. About 4,200 people were on board when the ship went down shortly after it had left a port near Rome at the start of a seven-day Mediterranean cruise, and survivors have spoken of scenes of chaos, confusion and panic on board. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(05 of11)
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This underwater photo taken on January 17, 2012 at the 'Le Scole ' rock shows wreckage of the cruise liner Costa Concordia after it ran aground in front of the Isola del Giglio harbor. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(06 of11)
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The cruise ship Costa Concordia lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio, on January 17, 2012 in Giglio Porto, Italy. More than four thousand people were on board when the ship hit a rock off the Tuscan coast. At least 11 people have been confirmed dead and another 24 missing. (Laura Lezza/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(07 of11)
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Cameramen film the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Isola del Giglio on January 17, 2012. Italian prosecutors called on Tuesday for the arrested captain Francesco Schettino of a luxury cruise liner which sank off the coast of Italy to remain in custody. 'The prosecutors have asked the judge to confirm the detention,' head prosecutor Francesco Verusio told journalists, adding that a decision on whether captain Francesco Schettino would be given bail had yet to be taken. (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(08 of11)
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Rescuers work on the cruise ship Costa Concordia as lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio, on January 17, 2012 in Giglio Porto, Italy. (Laura Lezza/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(09 of11)
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The Italian captain of the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino (C), is escorted by police after being questioned by prosecutors in the Grosseto court on January 17, 2012. Italian prosecutors called on January 17 for the arrested captain of of the cruise liner which sank on Janury 13 off the coast of Italy to remain in custody. The captain of the Costa Concordia was arrested on January 14, and has been accused by prosecutors of multiple homicide and abandoning the sinking ship while many passengers had yet to be evacuated. Divers searching for survivors found five more bodies on January 17, bringing the death toll to 11. (ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(10 of11)
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Lawyer Bruno Leporatti (C) defending the captain of cruise liner Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino, answers journalists after the captain was questioned by prosecutors in the Grosseto court on January 17, 2012. Italian prosecutors called on Tuesday for the arrested captain of a luxury cruise liner which sank off the coast of Italy to remain in custody. 'The prosecutors have asked the judge to confirm the detention,' head prosecutor Francesco Verusio told journalists, adding that a decision on whether captain Francesco Schettino would be given bail had yet to be taken. (ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(11 of11)
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The cruise ship Costa Concordia lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio, on January 17, 2012 in Giglio Porto, Italy. More than four thousand people were on board when the ship hit a rock off the Tuscan coast. At least 11 people have been confirmed dead and another 24 missing. (Laura Lezza/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
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