The Maldives has long been a favorite for ocean activities, but on Thursday, May 14, it was shaken by what is now being called the worst diving disaster in its history.
A group of five Italian nationals — Monica Montefalcone, 52; Giorgia Sommacal, 22; Muriel Oddenino, 31; Federico Gualtieri, 31; and Gianluca Benedetti, 42 — descended into a cave system in the Vaavu Atoll near Alimatha Island but never resurfaced.
A massive search-and-rescue operation was launched soon after, leading to the recovery of Benedetti’s body, the group’s diving instructor.
The bodies of the remaining victims were located today (May 18) with the assistance of an elite team of international rescue divers.
The remaining victims of the Maldives diving tragedy have been found
Montefalcone was an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa, while Sommacal, her daughter, was a student there.
Gualtieri was a marine biologist, and Oddenino was a researcher at the same institution.
The group went on a scuba diving expedition aboard the Duke of York vessel carrying 20 more Italians, according to Italy’s foreign ministry.
Their bodies were discovered inside the Thinwana Kandu cave, dubbed “shark cave” by well-regarded Finnish diving trio Sami Pakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund, and Patrik Grönqvist, who arrived in the Maldives on Sunday to help local authorities with the search.
The team, which has underwater scooters and specialized gas tanks that recycle air to extend time underwater, previously took part in the rescue of a Thai youth soccer team from a cave in 2018.
An investigation is underway to establish what happened to the divers. They are reported to have breached the recreational and commercial diving depth limit of 30 meters.
According to Mohamed Hussain Shareef, the chief spokesperson for the Maldives government, the mouth of the cave where their bodies were found is 50 meters underwater.
Montefalcone’s husband, Carlo Sommacal, told Italian daily La Repubblica that his wife was “among the best divers in the world.”
He described Montefalcone as “prepared and meticulous,” adding that she “would never have put our daughter’s [Giorgia’s] life or that of others at risk.”
“Something must’ve happened,” he suggested.
A Maldivian rescue diver lost his life during the search for the tourists, taking the fatality toll to six
Maldivian military diver Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahudhee passed away on Saturday, May 16, from decompression sickness, caused by a rapid decrease in pressure surrounding a person during scuba diving or high-altitude air travel.
@cnnFive Italian divers died while exploring a cave in Maldives on Thursday, prompting a multinational recovery mission that has already claimed the life of a military diver.♬ original sound – CNN
Each dive in the Maldives recovery mission is limited to around three hours due to oxygen and decompression requirements, Shareef said.
However, conditions are extremely challenging, with unpredictable strong currents, narrow passageways leading to cave chambers, and pitch-black darkness throughout, he added.
On Saturday, two divers marked the cave entrance by sending a balloon up to the water’s surface.
This allowed other crew members to swim directly toward it and maximize their time inside.
Before resurfacing, divers must stay in shallow water to decompress after ascending from the cave’s depths.
Authorities believe Mahudhee lost his life due to complications during this process.
“He was diving in a pair, as per protocol, and returning to the surface when his partner realized something was wrong, and the rest of the team jumped in to try and save him, but to no avail,” Shareef said.
Mahudhee was laid to rest with full military honors at a ceremony in the Maldivian capital, Malé, on the same night, with President Mohamed Muizzu in attendance.
The company behind the excursion has addressed the tragedy
The vessel that carried the tourists to sea has lost its license pending the results of the probe, according to Shareef, who said, “Everything will be looked into.”
The trip was managed by Albatros Top Boat, an established Italian tour company with offices in both Italy and the Maldives.
Orietta Stella, the lawyer representing them, told Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Saturday that the vessel’s operator “did not know” the group planned to descend beyond 30 meters.
Crossing that limit mandates special permission from Maldivian maritime authorities, and the tour operator “would have never allowed it,” she said.
The divers, she said, were experienced, but the equipment used appeared to be standard recreational gear rather than equipment suitable for deep cave diving.
She also clarified that Albatros did not employ the vessel’s crew and that the crew was hired locally.
Italy’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, said everything possible would be done to respectfully repatriate the remains of the victims.
“Diving beyond recreational limits is a one way trip,” a netizen remarked
