Experts are trying to piece together the final moments of four Italian scuba divers believed to have died inside deep underwater caves in the Maldives. The bodies of the missing divers have now been located, the Maldives government confirmed.
A group of five Italian divers died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 metres (164 feet) in the Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, Italy's foreign ministry said. The body of one diver, Gianluca Benedetti, was recovered from the opening of the cave on the same day.
On Monday, a team of three Finnish divers arrived to plan a fresh search for the bodies, the DAN Europe divers' network reported. Earlier, a high-risk recovery operation had to be suspended after a Maldivian diver, Mohamed Mahudhee, died from decompression sickness.
Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defence Force, succumbed to decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital on Saturday, according to Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef. He was buried with military honours in a funeral attended by President Mohamed Muizzu.
What Happened Inside the Cave?
While no one knows exactly what occurred inside the caves, as there were no survivors, the recovery of one body and the cave's layout have led to common theories. The group entered a complex underwater cave system in Vaavu Atoll at around 50 metres depth, well beyond the recreational diving limit of 30 metres.
The cave system consists of three large chambers connected by narrow passages, featuring overhangs, swim-throughs, and tunnels in a coral reef structure. Potential hazards include strong currents, low visibility, silt, and tight spaces. The cave stretches up to about 60 metres.
The divers gave a distress call at around 1:45 pm and were reported missing after failing to resurface.
Oxygen Toxicity and Other Theories
Dive master Maurizio Uras suggested that oxygen toxicity inside the cave may have contributed to the incident. "It's a phenomenon that can happen when you dive very deep," he told Italian news agency Agi. "If the oxygen mix is inadequate, oxygen can become toxic at certain depths."
Weather conditions were rough in the area, with a yellow warning issued for passenger boats and fishermen on that day. Strong currents and rough weather can disorient divers, stir up silt, reduce visibility, and complicate navigation or exit.
Pulmonologist Claudio Micheletto, director of pulmonology at the University Hospital of Verona, said it was likely that "something went wrong with the tanks" during the dive. He explained that oxygen toxicity, or hyperoxia, can be among the deadliest complications during deep dives. "Death from oxygen toxicity is one of the most dramatic deaths that can occur during a dive – a horrible end," he told Adnkronos.
Alfonso Bolognini, president of the Italian Society of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, said panic may have also contributed. "Inside a cave at a depth of 50 metres, all it takes is a problem for a diver or a panic attack," he said. "The agitation will cause the water to become cloudy and can impair visibility, which can lead to fatal errors."
Victims Identified
The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government. Benedetti's body was recovered near the mouth of the cave. Authorities believe the remaining four had entered the cave.
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said they would do everything possible to bring home the bodies and offered condolences for Mahudhee's death. The Italian ministry is coordinating with Divers Alert Network to support recovery operations and repatriation of the bodies.
The recovery teams have so far explored two of the three chambers, but the search was limited due to considerations over oxygen and decompression. Divers are now drawing up a plan to explore the third chamber, the ministry added.
