The recovery operation following the Maldives cave diving tragedy has now formally concluded after authorities confirmed the final two bodies were brought to the surface from the underwater cave system in Vaavu Atoll.
The development marks the end of a complex multi-day recovery mission that drew international attention across the diving community and involved specialist cave divers, military teams, and multiple ongoing investigations in both the Maldives and Italy.
According to reporting from Reuters, the final two bodies were recovered on Wednesday from the third and deepest chamber of the cave system, approximately 60 metres below the surface.
The operation had already seen two bodies recovered earlier in the week following deep penetration dives carried out by Finnish cave diving specialists Sami Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund, and Patrik Grönqvist, who joined Maldivian military and police teams after local recovery operations were temporarily suspended.
Authorities say the victims became trapped during a cave dive near Alimathaa in Vaavu Atoll last week. The five divers have been identified as ecology professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, marine biologist Federico Gualtieri, researcher Muriel Oddenino, and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti.
The recovery mission also claimed the life of Maldivian rescue diver Staff Sgt. Mohamed Mahudhee during an earlier attempt to reach the victims inside the cave system.
With the physical recovery operation now complete, attention is rapidly shifting toward the widening investigations surrounding the expedition itself.
Reporting from Associated Press indicates Maldivian investigators are examining possible discrepancies in the expedition documentation, including whether all members of the group were properly listed on official permits and whether cave diving activities were fully disclosed during the approval process.
Italian prosecutors in Rome have meanwhile opened a culpable homicide investigation connected to the deaths. According to ABC News, investigators are expected to examine expedition planning, operational oversight, dive approvals, and safety procedures linked to the fatal dive.
The Maldives Ministry of Tourism has already suspended the operating licence of the liveaboard vessel Duke of York pending the outcome of the investigation.
The tragedy has become one of the most closely followed diving incidents in recent years due to the technical difficulty of the recovery mission, the international response effort, and the growing scrutiny surrounding deep cave diving operations in remote destinations.
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