Tragedy as rescue diver dies while searching for bodies of Maldives scuba diving victims | World | News
A rescue diver searching for the bodies of four Italians who died in a scuba diving incident in the Maldives has died. The local government confirmed on Saturday that Petty Officer Sergeant Mohamed Mahdhee died after being taken to hospital in a critical condition.
The rescue diver was searching on Thursday for the bodies of four Italians who died while trying to explore caves at a depth of about 164ft. A total of 5 people died, and only one body has been found so far. One body is believed to have been found in a cave at a depth of approximately 60 m (197 ft). The incident is thought to be the deadliest single diving accident in the small Indian Ocean nation, a well-known tourist destination famous for its chain of coral islands.
Maldives Presidential Spokesperson Muhammad Hussain Shareef said Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital.
“Eight rescue divers went into the water today. When they surfaced they realized Mr Mahdhee had not come up,” Shareef told the BBC.
The diving group immediately dove back into the water and discovered Mahdhee had passed out.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu said in a statement: “It is a matter of deep sadness for me and all Maldivian citizens that a diver of the Maldives National Defense Force died while diving to search for missing tourists. This is heartbreaking news.”
Monica Montefalcone, 51-year-old television personality and professor of Tropical Marine Ecology and Underwater Science at the University of Genoa, passed away together with her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal.
The names of the other victims were determined as Muriel Oddenino from Turin, Gianluca Benedetti from Padua and Federico Gualtieri from Borgomanero.
The cause of their deaths has not been confirmed, but a pulmonologist believes the group may have been using faulty tanks.
Severe weather repeatedly hampered rescue efforts and Maldivian authorities were forced to suspend the high-risk operation on Friday.
The search for the bodies has resumed. Italian authorities are cooperating with Divers Alert Network, a specialist diving organisation, to support rescue operations and repatriation of bodies.
