Concordia operation ‘too dangerous’ to continue

The underwater operation to recover bodies from the half-sunken Costa Concordia has been abandoned because of the dangers to the divers involved in the task. Italian authorities said the search would continue for the 15 people still unaccounted for in non-submerged sections of the ship and in the surrounding waters.

So far 17 bodies have been recovered since the accident, in which the cruise liner was holed by rocks after sailing too close to Italy’s Giglio island.

Residents there, who played a major part in the rescue operation, have been protesting about the possible after-effects of the disaster. They are worried about the impact it will have on tourism and the environment.

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