Italian Divers’ Remains Recovered from Maldives Cave

The remains of four Italian divers who perished during a dive in the Maldives earlier this month were repatriated early Saturday, as confirmed by a Maldivian government spokesperson. The divers went missing on May 14 while exploring an underwater cave situated about 160 feet deep in Vaavu Atoll. Their Italian diving instructor’s body was recovered outside the cave and returned home soon after the incident.

The recovery mission faced challenges, including the tragic loss of Mohamed Mahudhee, a Maldivian military diver involved in the operation, which led to a temporary suspension of efforts. Eventually, three Finnish expert divers specializing in deep and cave diving joined the mission. They successfully located the four bodies last week in the innermost chamber of the cave at approximately 200 feet, or 60 meters below the surface. This area exceeds the recreational diving limit in the Maldives, which is about 98 feet, or 30 meters.

According to Maldives President’s Spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef, two investigations have been launched. One will examine the circumstances of the five divers’ deaths, and the other will investigate how Mahudhee died in the course of his duties. Shareef added that Italy intends to share any findings following autopsies on the repatriated bodies, should they be conducted.

The deceased divers were 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 stated earlier that the four bodies were found “pretty much together.” According to Italy’s La Repubblica, the group was discovered in a dead-end chamber.

The CEO of Dan Europe, the Finnish group responsible for recovering the remains, suggested that the divers “may have got lost” inside the cave’s structure. “Considering that they had a very limited air supply and therefore only a few minutes at the bottom, there probably wasn’t even time for them to make numerous attempts to find the correct exit,” noted Marroni in an interview with AFP.