- Title: ITALY: Two more bodies recovered as fuel recovery ready to begin.
- Date: 24th January 2012
- Summary: GIGLIO, ITALY (JANUARY 23, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS HEAD OF ITALIAN CIVIL PROTECTION AGENCY FRANCO GABRIELLI ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE CAPSIZED SHIP COSTA CONCORDIA SEEN BEYOND HOUSES NEWS CONFEREENCE BEGINNING GABRIELLI ADDRESSING MEDIA JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) FRANCO GABRIELLI, HEAD OF ITALIAN CIVIL PROTECTION AGENCY, SAYING: "The rescue workers have found two new bodies. The bodies are of two women, and they were found near the Internet cafe on the fourth deck. That brings the total number of bodies found to 15." MEMBERS OF MEDIA CAMERA SCREEN SHOWING GABRIELLI (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) FRANCO GABRIELLI, HEAD OF ITALIAN CIVIL PROTECTION AGENCY, SAYING: "The ship is stable and therefore there is no need to stabilise it. There appears to be no immediate risk that it could slide off the rock outcrop where it is caught and slip into deeper waters." MEMBERS OF MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) FRANCO GABRIELLI, HEAD OF ITALIAN CIVIL PROTECTION AGENCY, SAYING: "The technical and scientific committee has concluded that these activities are absolutely compatible and can be carried out simultaneously. Therefore, we have already signalled that the operations to pump fuel from the vessel can start." MEMBERS OF MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) BART HUIZING, SALVAGE MASTER AT SMIT, THE DUTCH COMPANY HIRED TO SALVAGE FUEL FROM THE COSTA CONCORDIA "We are ready to go, we are to start working." (REPORTING ASKING WHEN OFF CAMERA) "If possible, tomorrow." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 8th February 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Italy, Italy
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Disasters
- Reuters ID: LVA61SKGWK10TZVTIFD047VPLKUV
- Story Text: The head of the Italian civil protection agency says searchers have found two more bodies on capsized liner and that operations to pump some 2,400 tonnes of fuel from the vessel can begin while the search for bodies continues.
Divers on Monday (January 23) found two more bodies on deck number four of the Costa Concordia, the capsized cruise liner resting half-submerged near the port of Italy's Giglio island, said Franco Gabrielli, head of the civil protection agency.
"The rescue workers have found two new bodies. The bodies are of two women, and they were found near the Internet cafe on the fourth deck. That brings the total number of bodies found to 15," Gabrielli told a briefing on the island of Giglio.
Search operations are still under way for nearly 20 people missing in the waters off the island of Giglio.
The possible presence of unregistered passengers, including one Hungarian woman, has made it difficult to know the exact number of people missing.
Gabrielli said the ship was stable and did not appear to be slipping into deeper waters.
"The ship is stable and therefore there is no need to stabilise it. There appears to be no immediate risk that it could slide off the rock outcrop where it is caught and slip into deeper waters," Gabrielli said.
He said search operations could continue and operations to pump some 2,400 tonnes of fuel from the vessel could begin while the search for bodies was still under way.
"The technical and scientific committee has concluded that these activities are absolutely compatible and can be carried out simultaneously. Therefore, we have already signalled that the operations to pump fuel from the vessel can start," he added.
SMIT, the Dutch company hired to salvage the fuel, has said it is ready to begin extraction operations as soon as it receives the go-ahead from authorities.
"We are ready to go, we are to start working," Salvage Master Bart Huizing told reporters, adding: "If possible, tomorrow."
Navy divers on Monday blasted new underwater holes in the hull of the ship to provide additional points of access. Debris floated out and was gathered by coastguard boats.
An Italian navy ship, the Galatea, which is equipped with a sophisticated undersea radar system, has been sent to the area to help search for bodies.
The greatest fear of the island's 950 permanent residents is an ecological disaster that pollutes the pristine waters. Giglio's economy depends on tourists seeking clean beaches and clear water for snorkeling and scuba diving. Its drinking water, too, is drawn from the sea and desalinated. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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