A prosecutor in the trial for the shipwreck of the Costa Concordia has contended that 32 people died not because the luxury cruise liner crashed into a reef, but due to "chaos, delays, errors" under the captain's watch.

Prosecutor Alessandro Leopizzi was making final arguments today in the trial in Grosseto, Tuscany, of Francesco Schettino, who captained the Italian liner which capsized near tiny Giglio island in 2012.

Schettino is charged with manslaughter, causing the shipwreck, and abandoning ship while many passengers and crew were still aboard.

Some jumped or fell into the sea as the ship rolled over. Post-mortem examinations found victims drowned aboard or in the sea.

Schettino claimed the reef was not on the ship's nautical charts.

A verdict is expected late next week.

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