Maldives Cave Diving Accident: Two Italian Bodies Recovered as Four Remain Inside
The remains of two Italian nationals, who perished in a scuba diving incident last week in the Maldives, have been brought to the surface. Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a Maldivian government spokesperson, confirmed their retrieval from the third chamber of the underwater cave following a two-hour operation by Finnish specialist divers.
These bodies are now en route to Male, the capital, for formal identification. This development follows an incident that has claimed five lives so far, with two bodies still unaccounted for inside the cave system.
The initial body of an Italian diver, identified by Italian media as boat operations manager and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, was recovered shortly after the accident near Vaavu atoll last Thursday. Subsequently, a Maldivian rescue diver died on Saturday during the recovery efforts.
The four missing divers were located by Finnish divers on Monday within the furthest chamber of the cave, known locally as "shark cave," which reaches depths of up to 60 metres (197 ft). The recovery operation for the remaining two bodies is scheduled to recommence on Wednesday.
The complex nature of the recovery, attributed to the cave's depth, confined spaces, and poor visibility, has prolonged efforts. The cave entrance is situated at a depth of 47 metres, with internal chambers at varying depths. Weather conditions on Thursday, the day of the incident, were described as rough, with a yellow warning in effect for local maritime traffic.
The University of Genoa has distanced itself from the fatal dive, stating it did not authorise any deep-sea diving as part of the scientific research undertaken by its staff. A university spokesperson clarified that the permit requests submitted to Maldivian authorities were "evidently made outside the scope of the mission authorised by the university" and that the dive was conducted "in a personal capacity."
A Maldivian government spokesperson indicated the team held a permit for dives up to 50 metres but had not specified the cave in their proposal. The diving group included Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at Genoa University, and research fellow Muriel Oddenino, who were reportedly researching climate change impacts on tropical biodiversity. Also present were Montefalcone's daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, a Genoa student, and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri.
Carlo Sommacal, Giorgia's father, has critically responded to the university's assertion of an unauthorised dive, telling La Repubblica newspaper, "Monica [Montefalcone], according to many, is the person who has the most scientific literature on those corals in the world... And no one knew anything? It makes me laugh."
