IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Divers find human remains in sea near Costa Concordia shipwreck

A diver participates in a search operation Tuesday for missing bodies onboard the Costa Concordia.
A diver participates in a search operation Tuesday for missing bodies onboard the Costa Concordia.Laura Lezza / Getty Images

Divers found human remains near the Costa Concordia wreck and will perform DNA tests to determine if they are the bones of two people missing and presumed dead since last year's crash off the Italian island of Giglio.

The bones were found in the center part of the ship, where Italian passenger Mara Grazia Tricarichi and Indian crew member Russel Rebello were last seen, the Associated Press reported.

Their families had been notified of the discovery, officials said. It could take several days for the a lab in Tuscany to test the remains once police divers retrieve them from the water.

Finding the submerged bodies after 20 months was "almost a miracle," Civil Protection chief Franco Gabrielli said, according to Reuters.

Tricarichi and Rebello were among 32 people who were killed when the luxury cruise ship slammed into rocks and capsized on Jan. 13, 2012. The other 30 victims were recovered.

After the accident, the liner was left lying on its side until it was rotated upright in a 19-hour salvage operation. In addition to looking for remains, crews plans to haul out some of the ship's computers in the hope they can shed some light on why generators and other equipment failed after the crash.

The Costa Concordia will be towed away from Giglio by next spring and scrapped. The captain, Francesco Schettino, is on trial for manslaughter after being accused of taking the vessel dangerously off route and abandoning ship.

Related: