Radioactive fears after shipwreck is found off Italy

A secret shipwreck found off Italy’s southern coast has set alarm bells ringing.

Far from containing hidden treasure, the cargo on board the vessel is thought to consist of toxic, possibly nuclear material. And the suspicion is that it may have been sunk by the local Mafia, paid by authorities to take waste off their hands.

A former mobster indicated where the wreck would be found off Cetraro, on the Calabrian coast.

Regional environmental official Silvio Greco said the aim now is to establish what is inside the ship and whether it is toxic. He evoked the possible existence of other vessels, as indicated by ex Mafia members.

Questions are being asked about whether local deaths over recent years could be linked to the potentially dangerous load left underwater.

While investigators still have much work to do before the nuclear and Mafia claims can be confirmed, the fact the wreck was never declared has only strengthened suspicions.

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tags: Environment, Italy, Scandal