© picture alliance / Oceanphoto | Reinhard Dirscherl
Five Italian divers died in a tragic accident in the Maldives on Thursday, Italian media reported. Among the victims are a mother and her daughter. It is one of the most serious diving accidents ever in the Maldives.
Five Italian divers were killed during an excursion at Vaavu Atoll in the Maldives. Four of them were affiliated with the University of Genoa: biology professor Monica Montefalcone (51), her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal, researcher Muriel Oddenino (31) and marine scientist Federico Gualtieri (31). The fifth victim was diving professional Gianluca Benedetti (44).
The group explored a cave system some 50 meters deep in the morning. When they did not return by noon, the alarm was raised. How the accident could have happened is not yet entirely clear. One hypothesis is that the divers got stuck in the caves or became disoriented. The lack of oxygen would then have made them fatal.
By Friday morning, one body had already been recovered. According to a statement from the Maldives National Defense Force, "The remaining four divers are believed to be in the same cave where the first body was recovered. This cave extends to a depth of about 60 meters."
The salvage operation, which involves specialized divers, boats and air support, has been complicated by poor weather conditions in the area.
Picture: © picture alliance / Oceanphoto | Reinhard Dirscherl