Divers to recover Concordia victims

The wreck of the Costa Concordia still lies half submerged off the coast of Italy, over two months after the cruise liner ran aground.

Tourists on a passing ship take photographs of the stricken vessel.

On shore divers prepare for a complicated operation using robots to remove five bodies still trapped inside the hull.

This brings the number of confirmed deaths to 30.

Two people are still unaccounted for.

(SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALY'S CIVIL PROTECTION HEAD, FRANCO GABRIELLI, SAYING:

"Obviously the recovery of the bodies will not be immediate. Therefore, in the next few days the technicians of the Civil Protection, the fire brigade, the navy and the coast guard will go and prepare everything that is needed to recover the bodies, for the physical recovery of these bodies, which will allow some families to finally mourn their loved ones."

The operation to pump more than 2,300 tonnes of fuel out of the capsized vessel was completed on Friday, removing the threat of an oil spill in the surrounding marine reserve.

Lily Grimes, Reuters