Costa Concordia missing helmsman found in Indonesia

Cruise ship officer Rusli Bin located in Jakarta countryside

(ANSA) - Grosseto, April 9 - The Indonesian helmsman who steered the Costa Concordia cruise ship on the night of its fatal 2012 shipwreck has been tracked down in the Jakarta countryside after a lengthy search, the Grosseto prosecutor's office said on Wednesday.

Interpol located Jacob Rusli Bin, who has been sought to testify at the trial of former captain Francesco Schettino, the officer in command of the Costa Concordia cruise liner when it hit rocks and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio in January 2012, killing 32. Rusli Bin had not been heard from since being sentenced to 20 months for multiple manslaughter, negligence and shipwreck following a plea bargain last July.

Schettino, dubbed "captain coward" by the media for allegedly abandoning ship without overseeing the evacuation, is currently on trial in Grosseto on charges of multiple manslaughter and dereliction of duty. However, he has blamed Rusli Bin for failing to follow his orders correctly, allegedly causing the ship to crash into rocks following a risky 'salute' manoeuvre.

It remains to be seen whether Rusli Min will respond to the summons when the Tuscan court calls him to appear for a hearing. Schettino's five co-defendants, including Rusli Bin, received minor sentences after a plea-bargain last summer.