Costa Concordia raised after two-and-a-half years

The wreck of the Italian cruise ship the Costa Concordia is to be scrapped two years after it sank killing 32 people.

In one of the most expensive maritime salvage operations ever, the ship was towed to the Italian port of Genoa, close to where it struck a reef off the Italian island of Giglio in January 2012.

The ship's captain Francesco Schettino has denied charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship, which could see him jailed for up to 20 years.

ITV News Correspondent Ronke Phillips has this report:

Read more: Video: Inside the wreckage of the Costa Concordia

Video: Inside the wreckage of the Costa Concordia

The wreck of the ill-fated Costa Concordia cruise liner is set to be towed away after two and a half years underwater, off the Tuscan holiday island of Giglio.

The 290-metre ship was righted and secured in a complex operation last September.

With the arrival of the summer weather it is now due to be towed to Genoa to be broken up for scrap.

The "monumental" operation to re-float and remove the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship will start in the next few days.

The project is set to cost £190 million and to take up to a year to complete.