Island in fear of Costa's toxic stew

Even as engineers succeeded in wresting the hull of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia from an Italian reef where it has been embedded since it capsized in January 2012, the islanders worried about the environmental hazard that loomed large over the island

Engineer Sergio Girotto said that the crippled vessel wouldn’t budge for some three hours after the operation to right it began.u00a0After 6,000 tonnes of force were applied, Girotto said ‘we saw the detachment’ using undersea cameras.u00a0However, fears loom that the operation could pollute the pristine waters of Giglio.u00a0

Up she rises! Tourists watch on as the Costa Concordia is wrested from the reef embedded in its hull after a three hours. The salvage operation began behind schedule owing to stormy weather. Pic/Getty Images

The Costa Concordia was beginning a week-long cruise in the Mediterranean when it capsized and its freezers were packed to capacity with vast quantities of fresh food, dried goods, drinks and other supplies for its 4,200 passengers and crew.

In addition to the rotting food, there are oils, lubricants and other chemicals inside the vessel, including 65 gallons of paint and 10 gallons of insecticide, as well as thousands of items such as mattresses, clothing, shoes, crockery and plastic sun loungers.

Food on board
>> 10,886 kg of fish
>>u00a02,494 kg of cheese
>>u00a01,500 gallons of ice cream
>>u00a010,886 kg of pasta
>>u00a0907 kg of onions
>>u00a07,711 kg of raw beef
>>u00a011,000 eggs
>>u00a02,346 hot dog buns
>>u00a01,000 gallons of milk
>>u00a018,000 bottles of wine
>>u00a022,000 cans of Coca-Cola
>>u00a046,000 miniature bottles of spirits
>>u00a017,000 tea bags

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