Bodycams Found on Divers Killed in Maldives Cave Could Reveal Final Moments
Bodycams have been found with the divers killed in a Maldives cave, potentially revealing what happened in their final moments. Five Italians on a research trip were killed during a dive into the 160-foot-deep 'shark cave' in the Devana Kandu cave system last week.
The bodies of ecology professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, researcher Muriel Oddenino, and marine biologist Federico Gualtieri have all been retrieved. They were accompanied by diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, whose body was found last week. In total, six people have been killed as part of the cave dive, with Maldivian military rescue diver Mohamed Mahudhee dying from decompression illness on Saturday during a recovery mission.
Three expert divers who recovered four of the bodies handed over GoPro cameras found with the group. The footage has not yet been made public, but investigators hope it could piece together the group's final moments as they scramble to figure out what happened to the group who went deep below the recommended depth.
The group was on a research trip about soft corals on Thursday morning when they are believed to have died around 160 feet deep. They launched the expedition from the Duke of York yacht, which did not have a permit allowing dives of more than 100 feet.
Monica's husband and father of Giorgia, Carlo Sommacal, told Italian media that his wife 'was one of the best divers in the world' and would never put his daughter at risk. He said she had carried out about 5,000 dives and was 'never reckless'.
The Italian tour operator that managed the diving trip has denied authorizing or knowing about the group's deep dive, which exceeded local limits, its lawyer told Italian local publication Corriere della Sera. An investigation is underway to establish the cause of death.
