It is an accident. Unless it was a deliberate act, it was an accident. No matter what caused it( distraction, system failure, human error, etc).
With respect, I disagree...
Just scanned the dictionary meanings of accident, and they are more or less split between defining it as "bad luck" and preventable, vs a mishap that the victims could not have foreseen or prevented... so no point going there since we would just quote contradictory definitions....
However, in my part of the world the radio stations have (tried) to stop using the term "accidents" when talking about car crashes on the traffic reports. The rationale is that the term "accident" implies that it was just one of those things that happen, an act of God, bad luck, etc. When in fact
most car crashes are entirely preventable. An "accident" happens when there is a mechanical failure that causes the crash (tire blowing out, for example).
I happen to agree with this thinking - that using the term "accident" to describe something that was caused by some sort of human error is absolving the person of their responsibilities. Most crashes don't "just happen" - they happen because someone did something they shouldn't (or didn't do something they should have.) Obviously I'm not blaming the victims ... but they are often victims because of someone's action, or inaction... not just because of bad luck.
In the example of the ship.... if the reef had suddenly moved overnight (earthquake, for example) then that is bad luck and not foreseeable. An accident, by my terms.
In this case I believe that this tragedy was entirely preventable. It may have been bad luck for the victims - but it was not bad luck that put that ship where it was.... imo. Ships that size don't just wander off on their own.
We will still likely disagree about whether this an "accident", and that's fine. My aim is not to change your mind... just to explain why I don't think that word applies here.
What is important is that this shouldn't have happened.... and it appears that the captain of the ship has now been arrested for manslaughter. Don't know if this is routine, or whether the Italian police have some evidence they've uncovered.