The bodies of two Italians who drowned in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives last week have been brought to the surface, local officials have confirmed.
They were retrieved from the third chamber of the underwater cave by the specialist divers from Finland after a two-hour operation, said Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a Maldivian government spokesperson.
The two bodies are now being transported to the capital Male for identification. They were part of a group of five individuals who unfortunately lost their lives during the diving accident, with two bodies still remaining inside the cave.
The first victim, identified as Gianluca Benedetti, a boat operations manager and diving instructor, was recovered shortly after the incident on Thursday near Vaavu Atoll. Tragically, a Maldivian rescue diver also died during the search efforts.
The remaining four missing divers were discovered by Finnish divers in the cave, known locally as shark cave, which reaches depths of up to 60 meters (197 feet).
The recovery mission for the final two bodies is scheduled to resume on Wednesday, with officials expressing optimism about the operation's outcome. Understanding the factors leading to this tragic accident is paramount, as the recovery operation has proven to be complicated due to the cave's depth and visibility challenges.
A local government spokesperson explained that the Finnish divers collaborated with local police and the coastguard, noting that while progress was made in bringing the bodies to a depth of 30 meters, the coastguard divers took over from there.
Conditions at the time of the dive were reported to be rough, with warnings issued for passenger boats and fishermen in the area. The divers were part of a scientific team from the University of Genoa but undertook the dive independently without formal approval from the university.
The lead of the diving mission, Monica Montefalcone, underlined the importance of the research, despite confusion about the authorization. Her son and a recent graduate from the university were among the missing, culminating in calls for clarity on the circumstances surrounding the tragic diving expedition.
