Updated: 21:45
A 35-YEAR-OLD DUBLINER is one of four people being questioned by Italian police after being arrested for boarding the wreck of the Costa Concordia illegally.
The man, who has not been named, along with a 42-year-old British man and two South Africans, were employed by salvage company Titan, which is involved in efforts to raise the cruise liner, Sky News is reporting.
They were captured on CCTV positioned around the vessel, and police were immediately dispatched to the scene to investigate.
All four have been dismissed by Titan. A court date has not been confirmed as yet, and they’ve been released on bail for the moment.
According to Lt Elisabette Spoti of the Carabinieri police, the men were caught “red handed” and are suspected of trying to take items from the ship as souvenirs.
“They should not have been anywhere near the vessel as it is still a crime scene and as such sealed off.
”When they were held they had with them in their possession a rucksack with the Costa Concordia emblem on it.
“They had no permission to be on the ship and they were caught at 1.30 in the morning when no salvage operation was ongoing.”
Spoti said police were also also carrying out checks “to establish what exactly the role of the four men held was during the salvage operation”.
The Costa Concordia was pulled completely upright during a complicated, 19-hour operation to wrench it from its side in September. It’s set to be towed away next year.
The Concordia’s captain is on trial for alleged manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship during the chaotic and delayed evacuation in January 2012. Francesco Schettino claims the reef wasn’t on the nautical charts for the liner’s weeklong Mediterranean cruise.
Five other Costa employees were convicted of manslaughter in a plea bargain and were sentenced to less than three years apiece.
First published 10:00
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