Costa Concordia mishap: Remains of Russel Rebello return to Mumbai 3 years on

The remains of Russel Rebello, the Mumbai man who lost his life when the cruise ship Costa Concordia sank off the Italian coast in January 2012, will finally return to his home in Vasai on Saturday.

The remains of Russel Rebello, the Mumbai man who lost his life when the cruise ship Costa Concordia sank off the Italian coast in January 2012, will finally return to his home in Vasai on Saturday. Rebello, then 33, a waiter on board the ship, was one of the 32 people killed in the mishap.

Rebello’s remains were finally found on November 3, 2014, almost three years after the accident. He is survived by a six-year-old son Rhys.

The last three years had been harrowing for the family, especially for Rebello’s brother Kevin, who had visited the Italian investigating agencies several times whenever a body was discovered in the wreck. He returned disappointed time and again when the DNA samples did not match Rebello’s. His body was finally discovered on November 3 last year. It was sealed to be sent to Mumbai on February 9, Kevin said.

Speaking to HT, Kevin said that they had arranged for Rebello’s funeral to be conducted at their parents’ house in Vasai on Sunday. Rebello’s body is expected to arrive at the city’s international airport on Saturday around 5 am from Turkey.

“There were certain delays on everyone’s part including the Indian embassies and the Italian agencies. Also, during the Christmas vacation, the Italian courts were shut for five weeks which backlogged the process further. But, Russel’s remains will finally be back,” said Kevin.