Costa Concordia: Salvage Workers Discover Human Remains
The Costa Concordia’s last missing victim may have been found. Earlier this week, salvage workers discovered human remains amid the wreckage. Italian authorities are hopeful that the remains belong to Russel Rebello.
On January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia was cruising through the Tyrrhenian Sea near the Isola del Giglio. According to reports, Captain Francesco Schettino turned off the navigation system and steered the ship off course.
Witnesses said Schettino wanted to pass closer to the island to perform a “salute maneuver.” However, as the ship approached the shore, it stuck rock. The impact tore a large hole in the ship’s hull.
As the Costa Concordia filled with water, and all power was lost, the ship eventually drifted away and became lodged on a rock near Giglio Island.
Although the ship was clearly in distress, evacuation orders were not issued until one hour later. A total of 32 people were killed in the disaster.
Captain Francesco Schettino has received stark criticism for the decisions he made before, during, and after, the crash. The former captain was eventually charged with manslaughter, failing to assist during evacuation, and abandoning ship.
Two years after the Costa Concordia ran aground, the last missing victim may have been found.
Russel Rebello, age 33, was a native of India. At the time of the disaster, he was working as a waiter on the ship. According to witness reports, Rebello was last seen on the ship’s stern — assisting with the evacuation.
As reported by Fox 43 News, 32 people died on the ill-fated ship. However, Rebello’s remains were never found.
On Tuesday, salvage workers discovered human remains on the Costa Concordia. According to reports, divers found several “bone fragments” in the morning. Later that same day, they found a human skull in a different section of the ship.
Genoa Prosecutor Federico Manotti immediately ordered DNA testing to confirm the victim’s identity. Although it is hoped that the remains belong to Russel Rebello, they could belong to Maria Grazia Tricarichi.
A portion of Tricarichi’s remains were discovered, and positively identified, in 2013. However, divers were unable to recover all the remains.
Authorities confirmed the families of Russel Rebello and Maria Grazia Tricarichi were informed of the discovery. However, it could take several weeks to get the DNA testing results.
The Costa Concordia is currently in the port of Genoa, as it is being broken down into scrap.
[Image via ABC News]
