Costa Concordia leaves Giglio

 ROME-The Costa Concordia, wrecked in January 2012 in a collision killing 32 people, finally left the Tuscan island of Giglio Wednesday and was being towed to Genoa to be torn apart for scrap.

 The 114,500 tonne ship, travelling at speed 1.9 knots, was expected to arrive in four days time. Hundreds gathered on the island to witness the departure of the ship. When it finally set sail, applause was given to the workers involved to congratulate them on their achievement. The group of workers took to the pier returning the applause and screams with arms raised and even toasted to the crowd with two bottles of sparkling wine. "We are pleased and honoured to have been part of this great project”, exclaimed the workers.

 An old inhabitant celebrating with the many who came to watch expressed his joy; “Finally today the island is ours again.”

 However, despite the delight over the ships departure, many were emotional as they remembered the story behind the project. Spanish survivor Juan Pablo Lazaro, who came especially from Alicante, expressed his pain: "It's the end of the ship’s story, but not the end of my story with the Costa Concordia. That cannot be forgotten. If I were to forget the story of that night, I would not be normal - he continued - I would not be a person. That story is forever in my mind and in my dreams."

 Priest Don Lorenzo paid tribute to the 32 dead by giving a final blessing to the ship before it departed this morning. "I arrived at Giglio three months before the accident - he said - for me to see the island without it will be a strange feeling. I feel honoured to have made friends with those who have worked hard on this project, and to have met the survivors and the families of the victims."

 Salvage Project manager Sergio Girotto was also among those who came to witness the ship’s departure. “We never feared that the operation would not finish successfully. There have been many difficult moments, in which we were unable to find solutions. But we were always convinced that we could overcome them.”