Giglio Island residents
were moved to tears and joy Wednesday as they saw the Costa
Concordia off, waving flags and scarves as it set off for Genoa
to be broken up for scrap.
"Today, finally, the island is ours again," a resident said.
One elderly woman said jets of water shooting from the wreck
"looked like fireworks".
Many simply expressed amazement at the fact that the ship
was being maneuvered out of the port at all.
"They did it. It's almost impossible to believe," commented
one woman, waving a scarf.
"It was time," said Coast Guard Commander Gregorio De
Falco, who was hailed as a hero when he ordered the Concordia's
captain, Fabio Schettino, back on board after he abandoned ship
in the 2012 wreck in which 32 people perished.
"Now Giglio can go back to being one of the most beautiful
islands in the Tuscan archipelago," De Falco said.
Carlo Rienzi, president of Codacons consumer association,
criticized the festivities.
"This should have been a day of reflection and
commemoration of the 32 victims who died during the shipwreck,
without any type of celebration," Rienzi said.
"This was a nightmare in which 32 innocent people died,"
said Grosseto provincial president, Leonardo Marras.
"But the operation to refloat the ship was an extraordinary
feat. Now it's time to clean up the site and relaunch our
tourism industry".
Marras, who was in Rome on Wednesday at the time of the
Concordia's departure, said he will be on the island on Friday
to meet with the governor of Tuscany to plan the environmental
clean-up and the launching of a new tourist season.
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