The remains of four Italian divers who lost their lives in an underwater cave in the Maldives earlier this month were repatriated early Saturday, according to a Maldivian government spokesperson.
Details of the Incident
Five Italian divers went missing on May 14 while exploring a cave approximately 50 meters (160 feet) deep in Vaavu Atoll. The body of their Italian diving instructor was recovered outside the cave at the time and had already been returned to Italy.
A high-risk operation to retrieve the bodies encountered obstacles and was initially suspended after Mohamed Mahudhee, a Maldivian military diver participating in the recovery team, was killed. Subsequently, three Finnish expert deep and cave divers joined the mission and located the four bodies last week in the innermost chamber of the cave at a depth of around 60 meters (200 feet). For context, the recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 meters (98 feet).
Investigations Launched
Maldives President’s Spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef confirmed on Saturday that two investigations have been initiated: one into the deaths of the five divers and another probing how Mahudheea died while on duty. Shareef also noted that Italy has agreed to share any findings if autopsies are performed on the repatriated bodies.
Victims Identified
The deceased 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.
Government spokesperson Ahmed Shaam earlier stated that the four bodies were found “pretty much together.”
Permit and Location Issues
Authorities revealed that while the divers possessed a permit, their proposal did not specify the exact cave location they were exploring. Furthermore, at least two of the deceased were not listed among the researchers originally submitted to Maldivian authorities.
