GENOA, Italy—The last victim of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, namely the Indian waiter Russel Rebello, was finally found on the wreck during the dismantling operation in the port of Genoa on Nov. 3.
He was in a cabin on deck 8 underneath furniture which collapsed during the sinking of the ship near the Island of Giglio on January 13, 2012. The body was located by company workers from ‘Ship Recycling’ Consortium, which has been dismantling the ship since July 27, 2014.
The medical examiner in charge, Marco Canepa, will make a first inspection of the remains that are considered “fairly intact”, according to the state public prosecutor’s office. The searching operations took place immediately after the Concordia left the Giglio Island, and never stopped till it arrived at Genoa’s harbor. It took however 2.5 years to find the 32th victim of the tragedy.
Going Back to India
Russel Rebello was born in Mumbai, India, were his wife and his son, who was born in 2008, were waiting for him. His dream was to make enough money to open a restaurant in his hometown.
His brother, Kevin Rebello, has never stopped looking for his body: first near Giglio Island, then in Genoa. Today is a day for him to remember: “I promised my family that I will bring my brother back home some day. The biggest question was when, and I had no answer to that. […],” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Kevin thanked the Italian Civil Protection Agency and Costa Cruises Care Division, adding that “Now we are waiting for the DNA test and the procedures to give Russel his final resting place with honour, respect, and a HERO’s welcome. India, here we come.”
“Kevin, with his behavior always balanced and never outrageous, has been an example of dignity, he won our sincere affection,” said Giglio Island mayor Sergio Ortelli, according to ANSA. “The doors of the house of Giglio will always remain open for him, as well as for all the other victims’ families, and all the survivors,” he added.
Ortelli considers the discovery of Russell’s body “a commitment that we had to deal with, so his body could return to his family as the last victim of an absurd tragedy. An activity that has never stopped during these long years,” he said.
