BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Italian authorities have given the final go-ahead for a daring attempt to pull upright the crippled Costa Concordia cruise liner from the waters off Tuscany.

The ship capsized there 20 months ago. Italy’s national Civil Protection agency waited until sea and weather conditions were forecast for dawn Monday before giving the OK.

The Concordia struck a reef near Giglio Island’s coast the night of January 13, 2012. 32 of the 4,200 passengers and crew members died. The bodies of two of the dead have never been recovered, and may lie beneath the wreckage.

Never before have engineers tried to right such a huge ship so close to land. If the operation succeeds, the Concordia will be towed away and broken up for scrap.

(Source: CNTV.cn)