Five Italian Divers Die in Maldives Cave Expedition

Overview

• The group, which entered the water Thursday morning near Vaavu Atoll, failed to surface and was reported missing by the dive boat crew.
• Italy’s Foreign Ministry said the five citizens died while exploring submerged caves about 50 meters down near the Alimatha site.
• The Maldivian military later found one body inside a cave around 60 meters during a high-risk recovery effort, and officials noted severe weather with a yellow alert in the area.
• Local police have opened an investigation, and no official cause has been named, though Italian diving specialists have suggested oxygen toxicity as a possibility.
• The victims were identified as professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, researchers Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri, and dive instructor Gianluca Benedetti linked to the expedition.