The bodies of four Italian divers who went missing during a scuba diving accident in the Maldives last week have been located, officials confirmed to BBC. They were found inside a 60-meter-deep cave in Vaavu Atoll by a joint team of highly trained Finnish and Maldivian divers. A fifth Italian diver from the group had already been recovered shortly after the accident last Thursday. Tragically, a Maldivian rescue diver also died during the search efforts, raising the stakes in what is believed to be the worst single diving accident in the Indian Ocean nation, a popular tourist destination known for its coral islands.
Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a government spokesperson, indicated that further dives are scheduled to recover the remaining bodies. Two of the divers’ bodies are expected to be retrieved soon, while Italy's foreign ministry has confirmed they were located in the cave's third section, the furthest from the entrance. The initial victim was found near the cave's entrance shortly after the group was reported missing.
Among the divers were Prof Monica Montefalcone and research fellow Muriel Oddenino from the University of Genoa, who were there to study the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, along with Prof Montefalcone’s daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri. The fifth victim, Gianluca Benedetti, a diving instructor and boat operations manager, was the first identified casualty.
The group had entered the water that Thursday morning, but conditions were rough, and they failed to resurface. Authorities later discovered that while they had the requisite permits for research dives, additional deep dives were not part of their approved proposal.
As the community mourns the loss, the circumstances surrounding the dive and the safety measures in place will come under scrutiny to prevent future tragedies.
Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a government spokesperson, indicated that further dives are scheduled to recover the remaining bodies. Two of the divers’ bodies are expected to be retrieved soon, while Italy's foreign ministry has confirmed they were located in the cave's third section, the furthest from the entrance. The initial victim was found near the cave's entrance shortly after the group was reported missing.
Among the divers were Prof Monica Montefalcone and research fellow Muriel Oddenino from the University of Genoa, who were there to study the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, along with Prof Montefalcone’s daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri. The fifth victim, Gianluca Benedetti, a diving instructor and boat operations manager, was the first identified casualty.
The group had entered the water that Thursday morning, but conditions were rough, and they failed to resurface. Authorities later discovered that while they had the requisite permits for research dives, additional deep dives were not part of their approved proposal.
As the community mourns the loss, the circumstances surrounding the dive and the safety measures in place will come under scrutiny to prevent future tragedies.
