Italian Divers Found Dead in Maldives Cave
Rescuers located the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave in a Maldive atoll. Searches resumed on Monday after being suspended following the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission.
The five Italian divers were believed to have died while exploring a 160-foot-deep cave in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 98 feet.
One Italian body was found earlier outside the cave. Three Finnish divers arrived Sunday to draw up a fresh plan for searching for the other four, who were believed to be inside the system.
The search was suspended after Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, died from underwater decompression sickness on Saturday and was buried with military honors by President Muizzu.
Three Finnish divers joined the Maldives coastguard in a meeting aimed at mapping a new search strategy. Rough weather repeatedly hampered rescue efforts.
Initial teams had already dived to identify and mark the entrance to the cave system where the Italians disappeared. The cause of the deaths remains under investigation.
The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology; her daughter Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti.
Montefalcone and Oddenino were in the Maldives on an official scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study climate change effects. The two other victims were not involved in the research.
Carlo Sommacal, Montefalcone’s husband and Giorgia’s father, expressed doubts over the accident, describing his wife as a careful and highly disciplined diver who would never put her daughter or colleagues at risk.
The Italian tour operator that managed the diving trip denied authorizing or knowing about the deep dive that violated local limits. Its lawyer told Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Saturday that the operator “did not know” the group planned to descend beyond the legal limit, which requires special permission from Maldivian maritime authorities and would never have been allowed.