The bodies of two Italians who drowned in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives last week have been brought to the surface, local officials have reported.
They were retrieved from the third chamber of the underwater cave by specialist Finnish divers after a two-hour operation, shared Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a Maldivian government spokesperson.
The bodies are currently being transported to the capital Male for identification. The two individuals were part of a group of divers, and tragically, five lives were lost in total during the incident. Two diver bodies remain inside the cave.
The first body recovered was identified as Gianluca Benedetti, a diving instructor and boat operations manager, who was lifted shortly after the accident last Thursday.
Additionally, a Maldivian rescue diver died during the search efforts, compounding the tragedy of the incident.
The remaining bodies of the divers were located by Finnish divers within a deeper chamber of the cave, often referred to as shark cave, which plunges to depths of 60m (197 ft).
The recovery mission for the last two bodies is scheduled to continue on Wednesday, with local officials expressing optimism that they can be retrieved the same day.
Understanding what led to the accident is crucial, with hopes that retrieving the remaining bodies could provide vital insights. The operation has faced significant challenges due to the cave's depth and poor visibility. The entrance of the cave lies at 47m deep, while the chambers vary in depth.
The team of Finnish divers collaborated with local police and coastguard in the recovery efforts. While the team successfully brought two bodies up to a depth of 30m, local coastguard divers took over from there onwards.
The weather during the dive was described as rough, with a yellow warning issued for boats and fishermen in the area.
Four out of the five divers were affiliated with the University of Genoa, which indicated that they did not authorize any deep-sea dives as part of their scientific studies.
The diving team led by Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor at the university, was reported to be studying the impact of climate change on tropical biodiversity.
As new information comes to light, Montefalcone's husband, Carlo, has criticized the university's statement that the dive was unauthorized, suggesting that her extensive knowledge of the area's ecology was well recognized.
