Body search of Indian waiter begins following Costa Concordia salvage operation

The search for two missing bodies 20 months after Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship tragedy has begun off the island of Giglio, Italy's civil protection agency said.

The bodies of Russel Rebello, an Indian waiter, and Maria Grazia Trecarichi, an Italian passenger, remain unaccounted for.

Salvage workers, who pulled the vessel upright from water last week in an unprecedented operation, have ensured the ship is secure and given the green light to begin the search, a spokesperson said.

She added that specialist divers from the coastguard, fire brigade and police have begun scouring the area between the righted ship and the land, news24 reports.

According to the report, the search team will also be assessing how best to carry out the search within the wrecked liner if necessary.