Italy marks 10 years since deadly Costa Concordia shipwreck

GIGLIO, Italy (AP) — Italy on Thursday is marking the 10th anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster with a daylong commemoration that will end with a candlelit vigil marking the moment the ship slammed into a reef and then capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio.

A noon Mass in Giglio’s church is honoring the 32 people who died in the Jan. 13, 2012, shipwreck, while survivors and relatives of the dead will place a wreath in the water where the hulking liner finally came to rest on its side off Giglio’s coast.

The anniversary is also recalling how the residents of Giglio gave shelter that night to the 4,200 passengers and crew, and then lived with the Concordia's wrecked carcass for another two years until it was righted and hauled away for scrap.

Those residents gave a warm welcome on Wednesday to Kevin Rebello, whose brother Russel Rebello, a Concordia waiter, remained unaccounted for until crews discovered his remains while dismantling the ship in 2014 in a Genoa shipyard.

Kevin Rebello had become close to many Giglio residents during the months that divers searched for his brother, and his return to the island on the last ferry of the day on the eve of the anniversary turned into an emotional reunion.

“My brother did his duty. He lost his life protecting other people,” Kevin Rebello said as he arrived on Giglio. “I am proud of this. And I think he would be proud of what he did, helping so many people.”

The anniversary comes as the cruise ship industry, shut down in much of the world for months because of the coronavirus pandemic, is once again in the spotlight because of COVID-19 outbreaks that threaten passenger safety. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control last month warned people across-the-board not to go on cruises, regardless of their...