Costa disaster hearing begins without captain

Hundreds gather in Italy to hear an account of the fatal wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship.

The pre-trial hearing will take place here in the town of Grosseto inside a converted threatre that can hold over 1,000 people, though the general public and media are not permitted.

Prosecutors levelled a host of charges against the captain of the Costa Concordia - Francesco Schettino.

They include manslaughter and prematurely abandoning ship.

His vessel struck a rocky outcroping in January off the Tuscan coast, before falling over onto its side - where it remains today.

At least 25 people died in the disaster.

Survivors had been hoping to see Schettino, who is not expected to attend the hearing.

(SOUNDBITE) (Italian) CONCORDIA SURVIVOR WHO IS A PART OF CODACONS CLASS ACTION, ADRIANO BERTAGLIA

"I honestly do not know what to expect. I found out that Schettino will not be here which we already presumed and I don't think he has got the guts to show up in front of all the passengers whom he put through all that fear.

In addition to the criminal charges, the disaster sparked a civil suit.

But relatives of some of the dead question whether there will ever be justice.

(SOUNDBITE)(French) MOTHER OF MISSING FRENCH PASSENGER MYLENE LITZLER, BRIGITTE LITZLER

(REPORTER ASKING OFF CAMERA: DO YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE ITALIAN JUSTICE SYSTEM?)

"Confidence? Ha, no, I don't have any confidence. When you see what they are able to do, I don't trust them at all."

In addition to Schettino, several other Costa Concordia officers and the ship's owner are also under investigation.

Andrew Raven, Reuters