All articles tagged with #italian divers
New images released by DAN Europe show the dark, sediment-filled conditions inside a Maldives cave where five Italian divers died during a deep-sea exploration; investigators have seized the divers' computers and phones as part of the inquiry, and the bodies are due to be returned to Italy.
Finnish divers recovered two of the four Italian victims from an underwater cave off Alimathaa Island, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, as search-and-recovery efforts continued for the remaining two following an incident earlier this month.
Five Italian divers are believed to have died after descending into a deep underwater cave in the Maldives’ Vaavu Atoll, while a Maldivian National Defence Force diver died of decompression sickness during a rescue attempt. Weather hampered search efforts as eight local divers worked and three Finnish cave-diving experts were en route to rethink the plan. The victims were Monica Montefalcone, Giorgia Sommacal, Federico Gualtieri, Muriel Oddenino, and Gianluca Benedetti; Benedetti’s body had been recovered near the cave mouth. The tour operator involved denies authorizing the deep dive, and the operation is under investigation.
A Maldivian National Defence Force diver died from underwater decompression sickness while helping search for four Italian divers believed to be trapped in a deep underwater cave off Vaavu Atoll. Benedetti’s body has been recovered near the cave mouth, and the other four are believed inside the cave. Rescue operations have been hampered by rough seas and the depth (about 50 meters) exceeds recreational limits. Italy is coordinating with Divers Alert Network to aid recovery, and the Maldives has suspended the Duke of York’s operating license pending investigation.
In the Maldives, a Maldivian military diver died while searching for four missing Italian divers near Alimathaa Island, Vaavu Atoll, as rescue efforts follow the death of five Italian divers exploring an underwater cave in the same area.
Recovery efforts for the bodies of five Italian divers who died in an underwater cave near Alimathaa, Maldives, were suspended due to bad weather; among the divers was Monica Montefalcone, and authorities paused search and recovery operations until conditions improve.