After returning from a cruise just weeks ago, this story sent chills down my spine when I got wind of it.  A cruise ship ran aground on a reef off the coast of Italy over the weekend.  This crash was so bad, it's being compared to the tragedy of the Titanic.

New details continue to emerge about the partially submerged ship.  The captain claims that he was the last one off, yet passengers report that he was off well before the evacuation was completed.

In addition, there are still close to a dozen people not accounted for, meaning that the captain was obviously not the last one off.  The cruise liner was only a mere 300 yards off the shore when it hit the reef which is currently holding the vessel in place.  The search for those still missing had been halted due to rough seas, but the search parties were just called back to duty.  The wind and waves could cause the ship, currently in 60 feet of water, to plunge to over 400 feet if it becomes detached from the reef.

After the close call our ship had when it crashed into the Nassau pier, I realize that accidents and mother nature can definitely play a role in maritime travel.  However, in this case, the waters were calm.  This disaster is being blamed on human error of the captain who was arrested by Italian authorities over the weekend.  He deviated from the authorized route causing the crash.

Check out the video news report from ABC news below, and the latest updates from USA Today and Reuters.

More From Cars 108