Bodies of two Italians recovered from cave
With the assistance of expert Finnish divers, the bodies of two more Italian tourists were recovered today after they went missing while diving at the "Shark Cave" in Vaavu Atoll. A total of five people perished in the incident, and operations to retrieve the remaining two bodies from inside the cave are scheduled for Wednesday. The University of Genoa stated that the team, which was in the Maldives for a scientific study, died after diving beyond the authorized depth limits.
A member of the Finnish diving team involved in the search for the deceased divers at the scene. | DAN Europe (Divers Alert Network Europe)
The bodies of two Italian nationals who died while scuba diving in the "Shark Cave" of Vaavu Atoll have been recovered.
According to reports, specialized Finnish divers recovered the two bodies from the third chamber of the underwater cave following a two-hour operation. The remains have now been transported to Male' for identification.
A total of five people have died in this incident, with two bodies still remaining inside the cave. According to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) on Monday, the bodies were located within the cave where they had initially gone diving during a special search and rescue operation. The site has been identified as the Alimatha Cave in Vaavu Atoll.
Following the incident near Vaavu Atoll last Thursday, the body of an Italian diver from the group was recovered shortly after. Italian media outlets have identified the deceased as Gianluca Benedetti, who served as a boat operations manager and a diving instructor.
Subsequently, an MNDF diver passed away on Saturday while engaged in the search operation to recover the bodies.
Finnish divers located the four missing divers on Monday in the deepest section of the cave, furthest from the entrance. Commonly known as the "Shark Cave," the site reaches a depth of 60 meters (197 feet).
The lead divers appointed by the Italian government to head the operation stated that efforts to recover the remaining two bodies will resume on Wednesday, expressing hope that the recovery will be completed within the day.
The recovery of the victims' bodies is expected to provide crucial insights into the cause of the incident. However, the operation to retrieve them has been described as exceptionally difficult and hazardous due to the cave's depth, confined spaces, and poor visibility within the water. Although the cave entrance is located at a depth of 47 meters, its various chambers extend to differing depths throughout the system.
The Finnish divers are working in coordination with the Maldives Police Service and the Coast Guard. According to international media reports, once the specialized Finnish team brought the two bodies to a depth of 30 meters, divers from the Maldives Coast Guard took over the operation to bring them to the surface.
The four divers involved in the incident are members of a team from the University of Genoa. The university stated that the group had not been authorized to dive to such depths as part of their ongoing scientific research.
The MNDF Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) received a report regarding five missing Italian divers at approximately 13:45 on the 14th of this month. Upon receiving the report, the MNDF immediately launched a search and rescue operation by sea and air to locate the missing individuals.
