Italian police divers have cleaned the underwater 'Christ of the Abyss' statue in the Mediterranean Sea, removing crustaceans and deposits from its surface.

The 'Christ of the Abyss' statue, placed on the seabed in 1954, was cleaned by Italian police divers using pressurized water jets. The bronze statue, a symbol of World War II sacrifice, lies 300 meters off the beach between Portofino and Camogli and is a popular diving spot. The annual cleaning operation, which took place recently, involved several forces working together to keep the statue in optimal condition for visitors.