Costa Concordia: Second Body Found In Wreckage
Costa Concordia ran aground in January 2012. A total of 32 people were killed in the tragic accident. However, two bodies were never found. Divers have now recovered the remains of two people, believed to be the missing victims.
Italy’s civil protection agency chief Franco Gabrielli said the remains were submitted for DNA analysis. The identities will not be confirmed until the testing concludes.
Although the ship remains in the Tyrrhenian Sea, it was recently rotated into an upright position.The righting allowed divers to explore the area previously covered by the ship.
As reported by International Business Times, the remains likely belong to Russel Rebello and Maria Grazia Trecarichi.
Rebello worked as a waiter aboard the ship. The 33-year-old native of India was last seen helping passengers safely leave the ship.
Trecarichi was a passenger on the cruise. She booked the trip to celebrate her 50th birthday. Stefiana, age 17, survived. However, her mother never made it to shore.
Costa Concordia’s captain, Francesco Schettino, faces criminal charges in the tragedy. As reported by CNN, Schettino was charged with manslaughter, causing a disaster, and abandoning ship.
The captain reportedly asked crew members to steer the ship toward Giglio Island. Schettino wanted to salute a retired sea-captain who resides on the island.
As the ship approached the island, it ran aground on a reef. The ship filled with water and eventually leaned sideways along the shore. It remained in that position for over a year.
Schettino denies the criminal charges. The former captain says the reef was not indicated on nautical charts. He further blames a mechanical failure, as the watertight doors malfunctioned.
As reported by CBS News, Schettino left the ship with passengers still aboard. Witnesses report seeing the former captain “on shore looking for dry socks” as his ship continued to sink.
The Rebello and Trecarichi families were called to Giglio Island to await the DNA testing results.
Costa Concordia will eventually be towed to another location and broken down into scrap.
[Image via Wikimedia]
