The Maldives, a country long known as a tourist favorite for ocean activities, was shaken on May 14 after five Italian nationals lost their lives during an underwater diving expedition.
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 Alimata Island but never resurfaced.
A search-and-recover operation by well-regarded Finnish diving trio Sami Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund, and Patrick Grönqvist led to the detection of their bodies on May 19.
