The bodies of the last four Italian scuba divers who drowned in an underwater cave in the Maldives have been repatriated to Italy.
Marine biologist Monica Montefalcone from the University of Genoa, her daughter Giorgia Somacar, researcher Muriel Odenino, and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri returned home early Saturday.
Montefalcone and Gualtieri were recovered by elite Finnish divers on Tuesday, while Odenino and Somacar were found the following day. They were all located in the third and deepest chamber of the cave, with one empty oxygen tank among them.
The fifth diver, Gianluca Benedetti, who worked as a diving instructor and boat captain, was located near the cave entrance on the tragic night of May 14, before the search was halted because of worsening weather conditions.
His body was sent back to Milan on Tuesday, with an autopsy scheduled for Monday.
This incident involved five Italians who went missing while diving in a cave that reaches depths of 164 feet, marking what officials have described as the worst diving accident in the history of the Maldives.
The Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office is currently investigating the case, treating it as a homicide akin to manslaughter under Italian law. Part of this inquiry is focused on why a group of experienced divers went deeper than the Maldives’ legal recreational limit of 100 feet without the necessary training, permits, or equipment.
Rescue workers from Finland believe the divers likely ran out of oxygen after getting lost in the cave. As they descend deeper, conditions worsen, with light disappearing and sediment obscuring visibility.
Benedetti’s situation raises questions; he was found apart from the group, potentially trying to escape, but it’s possible he ran out of air before he could make his way back to the surface.
Both the Italian boat operator Albatross and the University of Genoa quickly distanced themselves from the incident, claiming they did not authorize or plan such deep-sea diving activities.
Investigators have begun questioning three professors from the University of Genoa, including Stefano Banin, who was on the boat but did not participate in the ill-fated dive. They have also received recovered diving gear, including a GoPro camera, which might shed light on the events that transpired.
