Employee Sustains Fatal Injury While Working to Salvage Remains of Cruise Ship Costa Concordia

This past Saturday, a diver working on the Costa Concordia salvage operation died after cutting his leg. 41-year-old Israel Franco Moreno was working 10 feet underwater when a piece of metal sheeting made a gash in his leg causing him to bleed to death.

According to the Italian news service ANSA, Moreno was unable to extricate himself from the metal sheet and was bleeding profusely. With the help of a fellow worker, he was eventually able to remove himself and maintain consciousness upon surfacing. He was quickly transferred to the salvage operation’s headquarters, received by paramedics, then promptly airlifted to a hospital. Unfortunately he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.

ANSA has reported two other injuries since the beginning of the project. Last April, a worker fell backwards and sustained a head injury and a fractured his collarbone. Just a month later, another worker required hospitalization from injuries caused while drilling. Another diver perished last year, however the causes were unrelated to the operation. This is the only death as a result of the project and officials have begun an investigation into the tragic accident.