More human remains found at wreckage of Costa Concordia

Italian agency conducting DNA tests to establish if new find is linked to the two people missing after the cruise ship hit rocks in January 2012

Carabinieri (national military police) bring ashore a box containing the remains of a person found during searches aboard the Costa Concordia ship (GETTY IMAGES)

More remains which could be human have been found by divers searching through the wreckage of the Costa Concordia cruise liner.

The ship, which sank off the Italian island of Giglio, was dragged upright by a lengthy feat of engineering last month, in a process that uncovered large sections of the hull which had previously been inaccessible.

The head of the Italian civil protection agency said its recovery team had found remains last week that could belong to the two victims still missing after the disaster, among the 32 who died.

“Other remains have also been found and are currently undergoing DNA tests,” the agency's Franco Gabrielli said. “We are waiting for the results of the analysis.”

All the remains found by divers are being tested, dislodged after spending more than 20 months resting underwater.

The ship is scheduled to be towed away in the spring, leaving the scene where it has blighted the picturesque Mediterranean holiday island.

Captain Francesco Schettino is currently standing trial over the incident, accused of manslaughter, while investigators continue to search for the missing, presumed dead. They have been named as Indian waiter Russel Rebello and Italian passenger Maria Grazia Trecarichi.