In Mumbai, an emotional adeus to Russel Rebello

PANAJI: More than three years after Russel Rebello died aboard the ill-fated Costa Concordia, his family was finally able to lay his body to rest at Naigaon, Mumbai, on Sunday evening. Neighbours, in anticipation of the arrival of Russel’s body, decorated the neighbourhood with large posters of him carrying the words ‘missing you’. His funeral service at Mother of God Church in Palli saw a large turnout with many relatives flying in from the Gulf for the solemn occasion.
Russel leaves behind his brother, his parents, his childhood sweetheart and wife Vilma, and their seven-year-old son Rhys. Despite the constant questions, the family hadn’t broken the news to Rhys until recently. Kevin Rebello, Russel’s brother, based in Italy spent the last three years running from pillar to post, first to find his brother and then to complete the necessary paper work to bring his brother back home.
Russel was one of 32 people who perished in January 2012 when the cruise ship Costa Concordia, carrying 4,200 people, ran aground off the coast of the Italian island Giglio. Bodies of all the victims except Russel were recovered after the incident. Survivors told the family that Russel was a hero, distributing life jackets and helping lower life boats. His family didn’t lose hope and continued to pray. Only last November was his body discovered under furniture on deck eight of the ship.
“The wait is over and my family is at peace. I’m happy that my parents finally have a grave to cry over, rather than crying at home or in the air. They’re closer to Russel now,” Kevin says.
If bringing his brother back home wasn’t distressing enough, Kevin had to spend nine hours to get his body cleared. He doesn’t mince words when he says his brother wasn’t treated with an ounce of dignity no sooner his coffin arrived in India. “I had to wait for five hours for a clearance from the Sahar Police Station and another four hours to get the body cleared from Customs. At the Sahar Police Station, they opened my brother’s coffin and inspected his remains out on the footpath in the courtyard. To them it was just cargo. There was no respect for the body and no dignity. No deceased person of any religion should have to go through this,” he says.
The Goa Seamen Association of India played a part in putting pressure on the Indian embassy in Italy in Russel’s case. “We followed up the case with the Indian embassy through Goa’s NRI commission. We also helped the 17-odd Goans on board the same ship get passports and other documentation that they had lost onboard. Many of them knew Russel and say he helped save others before he was trapped by the pressure of water that entered the ship. We are happy he has finally been brought home,” Michael Da Costa, ex-secretary of the association, says.
Kevin says he promised to bring his brother home to his family and is glad he was able to fulfill that promise even if it was more than three years later. His family has now found closure.