Five tourists killed in Maldives cave dive minutes from the surface | World | News
Five divers who drowned during a diving trip in the Maldives were only minutes from the surface when they died. Italian divers identified as Monica Montefalcone, 52, a marine biologist from the University of Genoa; daughter Giorgia Sommacal, 20; researcher Muriel Oddenino, 31; Recent graduate Federico Gualtieri, 31, and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti disappeared on May 14 during a deep-water dive into a cave 54 meters underwater on Vaavu Atoll.
Finnish diver Sami Paakkarinen, who was among the rescue teams, said four of the bodies were found “all together in one part of the cave.” He described the cave as “deep and very challenging.” Speaking to the Italian newspaper La RepubblicaHe said the tragedy was believed to have been caused by “tragic human error”. He also added that it was up to investigators to determine exactly what happened and questioned why the divers were inside the cave “without proper equipment.”
The location of the four bodies was determined on Monday when three expert Finnish cave divers Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund and Patrik Grönqvist from the Divers Alert Network (DAN) association participated in the search operation.
The group disappeared on May 14 during a deep-water dive into a cave 54 meters underwater in Vaavu Atoll. The body of diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti was found the same day he drowned and was brought back to Italy on Tuesday. The bodies of the other victims were repatriated early Saturday.
Italian press agency ANSA said four of the victims were linked to the University of Genoa. The university said the dive was not part of a research mission authorized by it but was carried out personally.
The divers were reported missing by the crew of a dive ship they were traveling on after they did not surface at around 13.45. A search operation was launched by the Maldivian Coast Guard and the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF).
Italy’s foreign ministry confirmed the deaths but did not provide further details about the cause of the incident. He added that the investigation is ongoing while the families of the victims are being contacted.
