The bodies of all five Italian scuba divers who went missing in the Maldives earlier this month have been found and recovered . The group disappeared on May 14 while exploring underwater caves in Vaavu Atoll at a depth of about 50 meters, which is well beyond the nation’s 30-meter recreational diving limit .
The Victims and the Recovery Operation
The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, a biomedical engineering student; Muriel Oddenino, a research fellow; Federico Gualtieri, a recent marine biology graduate; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti . The group was on a research trip to monitor the marine environment .
The recovery effort was perilous. The body of instructor Gianluca Benedetti was found on the day of the disappearance at the cave entrance . The four other victims were located days later, “pretty much together” in the deepest recesses of the cave . The mission claimed another life when a Maldivian military diver, Sergeant Mohamed Mahudhee, died from decompression sickness during an earlier search attempt . A team of specialized Finnish cave divers, deployed by the Divers Alert Network (DAN) Europe, ultimately recovered the remaining bodies . The bodies of Montefalcone and Gualtieri were recovered on Tuesday, with the final two recovered on Wednesday .
Ongoing Investigations
Two investigations have been launched, one by prosecutors in Rome and another by Maldivian authorities . Maldives officials stated the expedition’s permit application did not indicate they planned to enter a cave, and two of the deceased were not on the approved researcher list . The Italian tour operator has denied authorizing such a deep dive, noting the divers appeared to be using standard recreational equipment, not the specialized gear required for cave diving at that depth . The exact cause of the tragedy remains under investigation.
