The bodies of four Italian divers who went missing during a scuba diving accident in the Maldives last week have been confirmed to have been located by officials, according to reports by the BBC.
The divers were found inside a 60-meter-deep cave in Vaavu Atoll by a specialized team of Finnish and Maldivian divers. A fifth Italian diver from the same group had already been recovered shortly after Thursday's accident occurred.
Tragically, a Maldivian rescue diver also lost his life while searching for the group last Saturday. This incident has been described as the worst single diving accident in the Indian Ocean nation, which is renowned for its stunning coral islands and vibrant marine life.
“Further dives are to be conducted over the coming days for body recovery,” Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a Maldivian government spokesperson, stated. He added that the four bodies were discovered deeper in the cave, indicating the complexity of the recovery process.
Italy's foreign ministry relayed that the four bodies were located in the cave's furthest section, necessitating additional dives for extraction. The first Italian victim was found near the entrance shortly after the initial incident.
Among the deceased were two researchers from the University of Genoa: Prof Monica Montefalcone and her student Muriel Oddenino, who were in the Maldives to study the impact of climate change on biodiversity. They were joined by Giorgia Sommacal, Prof Montefalcone's daughter, and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri.
The fifth victim, Gianluca Benedetti, was a diving instructor and boat operations manager, who was the first to be recovered.
The dive team entered the water at Vaavu Atoll on Thursday morning and did not resurface later, prompting concerns and subsequent rescue operations. Weather conditions in the area were reported as rough at the time, prompting officials to issue warnings for boat traffic.
Shareef confirmed that the group had the necessary permits for their scientific research, which permitted dives down to 50 meters, but did not include specific mention of the cave they descended into.
An investigation is currently underway to identify the causes behind this tragic incident, which has left the diving community and families grappling with profound grief and loss.
