The bodies of four divers who went missing during an underwater caving trip in the Maldives have been found, bringing the total number of recovered victims to five. The incident occurred in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, when a group of Italian divers explored a cave and failed to resurface.
Victims Identified
Italy's Foreign Ministry confirmed that all five victims were Italian nationals. They were identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti. A mother and daughter were among the deceased.
Search and Recovery
Initially, only Mr. Benedetti's body was recovered near the cave's mouth on Thursday. The search for the remaining four was suspended after a local military diver, Mohamed Mahudhee, died during the rescue effort and rough weather hampered operations. However, the search resumed on Monday, and the Maldives government announced that all bodies have been located.
Mr. Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defence Force, was recovered from the water and transferred to a hospital in Malé, where he died of underwater decompression sickness on Saturday. He was buried with military honours in a funeral attended by Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu.
Investigation Underway
Authorities believe that the four missing divers entered the cave before losing their lives. The diving limit in the Maldives is 30 metres, but the group is understood to have died at a depth of around 50 metres. The Italian tour operator that managed the diving trip has denied authorising or knowing about the deep dive, which exceeded local limits, according to its lawyer speaking to Corriere della Sera. An investigation is underway to establish the cause of death.
Official Reactions
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani offered condolences to Mr. Mahudhee's family and pledged to do everything possible to bring the victims' bodies home. The University of Genoa stated that Ms. Montefalcone and Ms. Oddenino were in the Maldives on an official scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study climate change effects on tropical biodiversity. However, the scuba diving trip was a private undertaking and not part of the research. The other two victims were not part of the official mission.
