Elite European divers have been sent to the Maldives to recover four missing Italian tourists after a fatal diving incident, after fears their remains may be eaten by sharks
An elite squad of some of the world’s most experienced deep-sea divers has been rushed to the Maldives in a desperate race against time to recover the bodies of five Italian tourists who died in a tragic diving incident, with concerns rising that sharks could reach the remains first.
So far, only the body of the group’s diving instructor has been recovered, while a Maldivian military search diver was killed during earlier recovery efforts, underscoring just how dangerous the ongoing operation has become. Now, a newly assembled European team, which includes three top Finnish divers, has been flown in to continue the search on Monday.
They will focus on a treacherous underwater cave system where the remaining four bodies are believed to be trapped. The specialist unit, dispatched by Divers Alert Network Europe, includes Sami Paakkarinen and Patrik Grönqvist, both of whom have previously been involved in high-profile rescue and recovery missions, including operations in Norway and the dramatic 2018 Thai cave rescue.
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DAN Europe chief executive Laura Marroni said the priority is to bring the victims home quickly, warning of the risks posed by the environment, the NY Post reports. She told Italian newspaper La Stampa: “We’ll bring [the victims’ bodies] back. We can’t leave them at the mercy of the sharks. We need experts here.”
Ms Marroni added that speed is critical given the depth and conditions involved. She explained: “Unfortunately, in warm waters, even if we don’t know exactly what fauna is in the cave, we can’t rule out the risk of predators like sharks or environmental impacts. During past recoveries, the worst happened. So every hour that passes is crucial.”
The elite divers are understood to be capable of operating at depths of nearly 500 feet, which is far beyond the limits of standard diving teams, giving them a crucial advantage in the complex recovery mission. Ms Marroni continued: “We offered our decades of experience and selected the best and most experienced divers immediately available: the Finnish team. We are talking about people among the most competent in the world for these operations.”
The team arrived in Malé on Sunday, just hours after the death of Maldivian search diver Sgt. Major Mohamed Mahudhee, who had been part of earlier recovery attempts. He had been filmed on Friday standing alongside Maldives President Dr Mohamed Muizzu shortly before what would become his final mission.
Bad weather and limited deep-water rescue equipment have further complicated efforts, with officials admitting the Maldives is not well equipped for this type of technical cave diving operation. The victims, all Italian nationals, have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, 52, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, 20, Muriel Oddenino, 31, Gianluca Benedetti, 44, and Federico Gualtieri, 31.
Four of them were linked to the University of Genoa, while one member of the group survived after making a split-second decision not to enter the water at Vaavu Atoll. Saturday’s search ended without further recoveries, with only instructor Benedetti’s body confirmed to have been found so far.
Authorities are also investigating whether oxygen toxicity – caused by excessive oxygen exposure during deep diving – may have played a role in the tragedy. Italy has launched its own inquiry into the incident, which took place aboard the tourist yacht Duke of York.
The vessel reportedly had around 25 passengers onboard at the time, but was not authorised for dives beyond 100 feet. Operator Albatros Top Boat has insisted all dives were conducted within permitted limits, while its lawyer Orietta Stella is now travelling to the Maldives to oversee recovery efforts personally.
She said: “I want to understand what happened to these poor people and I want to follow the recovery of their bodies.”
