The remains of four Italian divers who tragically lost their lives earlier this month in the Maldives were repatriated to Italy on Saturday. This event followed a deadly diving incident in which five Italian divers went missing while exploring a cave approximately 160 feet underwater in Vaavu Atoll on May 14.
The body of their diving instructor was initially recovered outside the cave and sent home. The recovery operation faced significant challenges, including the tragic death of Mohamed Mahudhee, a Maldivian military diver involved in the mission. The operation paused briefly due to his death.
To continue the search, three Finnish expert deep and cave divers joined the mission. They successfully discovered the four missing bodies last week in the deepest section of the cave, at a depth of around 200 feet or 60 meters. It’s notable that the Maldives sets a recreational diving limit of approximately 98 feet or 30 meters.
According to Mohamed Hussain Shareef, spokesperson for the Maldives President, dual investigations are underway. One investigation focuses on the tragic deaths of the Italian divers. The other investigates the circumstances surrounding Mahudhee’s death. Shareef mentioned that Italy agreed to share potential autopsy findings with the Maldives.
An image shows Red Crescent emergency responders and police transferring the Italian tourists’ bodies from a police speedboat to an ambulance in Male on May 19.
The victims were identified as Monica Montefalcone, an ecology associate professor at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti. The group was discovered “pretty much together” inside a dead-end section of the cave, according to Maldivian government spokesperson Ahmed Shaam.
La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper, reported the group was found in a dead-end chamber. The CEO of Dan Europe, the Finnish team that recovered the remains, suggested they “may have got lost” within the cave. He noted their limited air supply, giving them only minutes to find an exit, which likely limited their efforts to escape.