Five Italian divers lost their lives while exploring an underwater cave in the Maldives on Thursday, in what local authorities have called the worst diving accident in the country's history. Only one body has been recovered so far, with rough weather hampering efforts to retrieve the rest.
The five divers began their expedition to explore underwater caves in the Vaavu Atoll, located at a depth of 50 metres, but never resurfaced. The cause of their deaths is under investigation. Recovery operations are expected to resume on Saturday.
The Maldivian government has identified the victims as Monica Montefalcone, Giorgia Sommacal, Federico Gualtieri, Muriel Oddenino and Gianluca Benedetti. The group used a yacht, the Duke of York, for the expedition.
At least four of the five were associated with the University of Genoa. Benedetti, the fifth, served as a boat operations manager aboard the Duke of York. His is the only body recovered so far.
Montefalcone was a marine biologist and professor of Tropical Marine Ecology and Underwater Science at the University of Genoa, and served as the scientific director of an island monitoring campaign in the Maldives, according to Italian media.
As per the Daily Mail, her daughter, Sommacal, shared her mother's passion for the sea and diving, and had completed a degree in biomedical engineering at the same university.
Oddenino, 31, was a marine biologist and ecologist. An experienced diver, she had authored several scientific publications.
Gualtieri, also 31, had recently graduated from the university with a degree in marine biology and ecology and was a certified scuba diving instructor.
Benedetti, 44, was a banking and finance professional before relocating to the Maldives in 2017 to pursue his passion for diving, eventually becoming a boat operations manager.
The body of Benedetti was discovered near the entrance of the underwater cave system, while the remaining divers are believed to still be inside the cave, according to rescue officials.
Maldivian presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said that eight divers took part in Friday's search operation. Working in pairs, they explored deeper sections of the site before deteriorating weather conditions forced them to suspend the mission. They were, however, able to prepare a preliminary map to guide further search efforts scheduled for Saturday.
Shareef also said that two Italian diving experts are expected to join the ongoing recovery operation to assist local teams.
The Italian government has stated that it is coordinating with the Divers Alert Network, a specialist diving organisation, to facilitate the repatriation of the bodies once recovered.
According to the Associated Press, the cave system entered by the five divers consists of three large chambers connected by narrow passages. Recovery teams have already searched two of these chambers, but operations were limited due to decompression constraints.
Maldivian divers are expected to continue the search on Saturday, focusing on the third and remaining chamber.
The exact cause of the divers' deaths remains unclear, though investigators and diving experts have put forward several theories.
Maldivian police are examining whether poor weather conditions may have severely affected visibility at the dive site, where winds were reportedly blowing at 25 to 30 mph.
According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the five divers may have lost their way inside the underwater cave after visibility deteriorated due to rough weather.
Carlo Sommacal, the husband of Montefalcone, told the Italian publication that an “unexpected” incident during the expedition may have caused the tragedy.
Sommacal said his wife was among the world’s most experienced divers and would never have put their daughter or others at risk. He also said that his wife’s GoPro camera, which she had carried during the expedition, could offer important clues about what led to the deaths.
Investigators are also exploring the possibility that one diver may have been trapped, while the others either ran out of air or panicked as they attempted to rescue their colleague.
According to the BBC, some diving experts suspect oxygen toxicity may have played a role. The condition can occur when the breathing gas mixture in a diving tank is unsuitable for certain depths, causing oxygen to become toxic under high pressure.
Cave diving is a highly technical and inherently dangerous activity that requires specialised training, advanced equipment, and strict adherence to safety protocols.
The risks increase significantly in overhead environments and at greater depths, especially when conditions are poor. Experts note that divers can easily become disoriented inside underwater cave systems, where sediment disturbance can quickly reduce visibility to near zero.
Diving to a depth of 50 metres, as reportedly done by the Italian divers, also exceeds the limits recommended for recreational scuba divers. Diving beyond 40 metres is classified as technical diving and requires additional training, experience, and specialised gear.
The standard recreational diving limit is 30 metres in the Maldives.
According to the BBC, diving and snorkelling incidents are relatively uncommon in the Maldives, an archipelago of several atolls.
