Bodies of four Italian tourists repatriated
The bodies of the Italian tourists who died after becoming trapped in a deep underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll have been repatriated following a recovery operation assisted by Finnish experts. A Maldivian military diver also lost his life during the incident, which is believed to have occurred when the tourists became disoriented inside the cave and exhausted their oxygen supply. Two separate investigations have now been launched into the fatal accident.
From top left to right: Monica Montefalcone, Federico Gualtieri, Gianluca Benedetti, Muriel Odenino, Giorgia Somacal, and Mohamed Mahdi. | Screen image
The bodies of four Italian tourists who died after becoming trapped in an underwater cave while diving in the Maldives earlier this month were repatriated on Saturday morning, a government spokesperson confirmed.
Five Italian divers went missing on May 14 while exploring a cave located approximately 160 feet underwater in Vaavu Atoll. At the time of the incident, the body of their instructor was discovered and recovered from just outside the cave entrance; his remains have since been repatriated.
The high-risk recovery operation faced significant obstacles during the efforts to retrieve the bodies. The mission had to be temporarily suspended following the tragic death of Mohamed Mahdi, a Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) diver involved in the search. However, the operation later resumed with the assistance of three Finnish experts specializing in deep-sea and cave diving, who successfully recovered the bodies of the four individuals last week. The bodies were discovered in the innermost section of the cave at a depth of approximately 200 feet (60 meters). For context, the legal limit for recreational diving in the Maldives is 98 feet (30 meters).
Presidential Spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef announced on Saturday that two separate investigations have been launched into the recent incident. These include an inquiry into the deaths of five Italian divers, as well as a formal investigation into the death of MNDF diver Mahdi, who passed away while on duty. Furthermore, Shareef stated that the Italian government has agreed to share the findings of any autopsies conducted on the bodies repatriated to their home country.
The victims of this incident have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an Associate Professor at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Somacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Odenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti.
According to a report by the Italian newspaper *La Repubblica*, the group was discovered in a narrow, confined section of the cave that had blocked their further passage.
The CEO of "DAN Europe," the Finnish organization that conducted the recovery operation, told AFP that the divers are believed to have died after becoming disoriented and losing their way inside the cave.
"With their oxygen supplies running low and the ability to remain at such depths limited to only a few minutes, they will not have much time to search for an exit from the cave," Maroni stated.
