Recovery teams in the Maldives have successfully brought two bodies to the surface from the underwater cave system where five Italian divers lost their lives, marking a major development in one of the most technically challenging diving recovery operations the country has faced.
The bodies were recovered from the third and deepest chamber of the cave network near Alimathaa in Vaavu Atoll, where authorities say the divers became trapped during a deep cave dive last week.
According to Reuters and Associated Press reporting, the operation involved specialist Finnish cave divers Sami Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund, and Patrik Grönqvist, who joined Maldivian military and police teams after earlier recovery efforts were suspended following the death of rescue diver Staff Sgt. Mohamed Mahudhee.
Officials say the cave system reaches depths of around 50 to 60 metres and contains multiple chambers connected by narrow restrictions, creating highly hazardous conditions for both search and recovery divers.
The two bodies recovered on Tuesday were part of the group of four divers previously located inside the cave system. Authorities say efforts are continuing to recover the remaining two victims, with operations expected to resume on Wednesday.
The victims have been identified as ecology professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, marine biologist Federico Gualtieri, researcher Muriel Oddenino, and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti. Benedetti’s body had been recovered earlier in the operation shortly after the initial incident.
Reports indicate the Finnish cave divers used closed-circuit rebreathers (CCR) during long penetration dives into the cave network before Maldivian teams assisted with bringing the bodies to the surface.
At the same time, Maldivian authorities are continuing to investigate whether the dive exceeded authorised operational limits. Reuters reports investigators are examining whether the group surpassed the Maldives’ recreational depth limit of 30 metres and whether cave diving activities were properly disclosed during expedition approvals.
The operation has already claimed the life of Staff Sgt. Mohamed Mahudhee, who lost consciousness during an earlier recovery attempt inside the cave system. Fellow divers managed to retrieve him from the water, but he later died in hospital. Officials have not publicly confirmed a cause of death, although several reports have suggested decompression-related complications may have been involved.
The Maldives Ministry of Tourism has meanwhile suspended the operating licence of the liveaboard vessel Duke of York pending the outcome of the investigation.
The tragedy has drawn international attention throughout the diving community due to both the scale of the incident and the technical complexity of the recovery mission.
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