When asked about the youngest passenger who died - a five-year-old girl - he could not answer and broke down, the BBC reported.

Schettino denies charges including manslaughter and causing a shipwreck.

An Italian judge has lifted Schettino's house arrest, but said he must not leave his hometown, near Naples, while the investigation continues.

In a letter published recently in Italy's La Corriere della Sera newspaper, Schettino argued that he had saved many lives by steering the stricken vessel into shallow water.