Human remains found at the site of the Costa Concordia cruise liner crash in Italy are believed to be those of Russel Rebello, an Indian waiter who was on board the ship, but never found.
The Italian civil protection agency told the BBC that another passenger of Italian nationality, Maria Grazia Trecarichi, has still not been found.
Thirty other passengers were reported dead after the ship hit the Giglio reef off the coast of Italy last year. The ship, which was beached by the Tuscan shore, was moved upright and out of the water last month.
"The remains have been found by rescuers on the third deck," of the Costa Concordia, spokesperson from the agency Francesca Maffini said. "Several elements make us say that they could relate to the body of the young waiter of Indian nationality, Russel Rebello."
The agency is still waiting on final word of whether these remains, in fact, belonged to Rebello. In the meantime, his family has been notified about the change.
Rescue divers found what they believed to be the remains of some passengers that were never accounted for at the wreckage last week. According to civil protection agency chief Franco Gabrielli, who spoke with the BBC on Wednesday, the remains were sent to labs for DNA testing after they were found.
The captain of the ship is currently on trial for allegedly causing the shipwreck and eventually abandoning the vessel. According to the BBC, Captain Francesco Schettino appeared in court shortly after the ship was righted out of the water. He told an Italian judge that his crew was to blame for the crash, as the helmsman didn't follow directions to slow down, leading the ship right into the thick reef and sharp rocks.
"If it weren't for the helmsman's error, to not position the tiller to the left...the swerve [toward the reef] and the collision wouildn't have happened," Schettino told the court.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the captain ran his hands through his hair and said listlessly "I made a mess," after the ship crashed into the rocks on Giglio reef.
First Deck Officer Iaccarino told the Morning Herald that the captain might have been responsible for steering the ship too close to the island.
"I looked at the nautical map and I saw that we were...close to Giglio's reefs," Iaccarino said. "Then Commander Schettino ran his hands through his hair and said: 'I made a mess.'"
If Schettino is convicted, he could receive a sentencing of up to 20 years in prison.
