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Recovery operation retrieves two bodies
Specialist divers from Finland have recovered the bodies of two Italian scuba divers from a submerged cave in the Maldives, local officials confirmed to the BBC. The victims were part of a group of five who died in last week's accident near Vaavu atoll.
Details of the recovery
Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a Maldivian government spokesperson, stated that the two bodies were retrieved from the third chamber of the underwater cave during a two-hour operation. The remains were transported to the capital, Malé, for identification.
Two bodies remain inside the cave, known locally as "Shark Cave," which reaches depths of up to 60 meters (197 feet). The recovery mission for the remaining victims is set to resume on Wednesday, with officials expressing optimism about completing the operation the same day.
Sequence of the accident
The first fatality, Gianluca Benedetti, a diving instructor and boat operations manager, was recovered shortly after the accident on Thursday. A Maldivian rescue diver later died during the search efforts on Saturday.
The four missing divers were located by Finnish divers on Monday in the cave's deepest chamber. The recovery has been described as highly complex due to the cave's depth, limited space, and poor visibility. The entrance lies at 47 meters, with chambers at varying depths.
Finnish divers initially brought the two recovered bodies to a depth of 30 meters before local coastguard divers took over the operation.
Weather and dive conditions
At the time of the dive, weather conditions were rough, and a yellow warning had been issued for passenger boats and fishermen. The University of Genoa, with which four of the divers were affiliated, stated that the dive was not part of its authorized scientific research.
"The requests submitted to the Maldivian authorities were evidently made outside the scope of the mission authorized by the university," a spokesperson told the BBC. The dive was conducted "in a personal capacity."
University of Genoa
The university suspended all scientific dives in March 2024 following a ministerial decree outlining new guidelines for underwater research. It is currently developing an internal protocol to comply with these regulations.
Permits and authorization
A Maldivian government spokesperson said the team had a permit to dive to 50 meters but did not disclose plans to explore the cave in their proposal.
The group was led by Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa, and research fellow Muriel Oddenino. Their research focused on the effects of climate change on tropical biodiversity. The other two divers were Montefalcone's daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, a student, and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri.
Family response and investigation
Carlo Sommacal, father of Giorgia Sommacal and husband of Monica Montefalcone, criticized the university's statement that the dive was unauthorized. He told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that his wife was a leading expert on Maldivian corals, with extensive scientific literature and research contributions.
"There are hundreds of graduate students writing theses on the Maldives using the data they gather together with Monica, or that Monica gathered. And no one knew anything? It makes me laugh."
Carlo Sommacal
Authorities hope the recovery of the remaining bodies will provide insights into the cause of the accident.
