{"id":335817,"date":"2026-05-16T20:13:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T14:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=335817"},"modified":"2026-05-16T20:13:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T14:43:07","slug":"maldives-military-diver-dies-looking-for-bodies-of-4-italians-in-an-underwater-cave-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/16\/maldives-military-diver-dies-looking-for-bodies-of-4-italians-in-an-underwater-cave-national\/","title":{"rendered":"Maldives military diver dies looking for bodies of 4 Italians in an underwater cave – National"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Maldivian military diver died Saturday while looking for the bodies of 4 Italian divers\u00a0believed to be deep inside an underwater cave<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The group of 5 Italian divers is believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 meters (160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, based on Italy\u2019s Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving limit within the Maldives is 30 meters.<\/p>\n

Maldives Presidential Spokesman Mohammed Hussain Shareef said that Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital within the capital.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe death goes to point out the problem of the mission,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Earlier, Shareef said the searchers had prepared a plan based on their progress exploring the cave on Friday. Mahudhee was a part of the group that briefed Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on the rescue plan when he visited the search site on Friday.<\/p>\n

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Rough weather has repeatedly hampered recovery efforts.<\/p>\n

The Italian Foreign Minister\u00a0Antonio Tajani<\/a>\u00a0said every little thing possible can be done to bring the victims home. His ministry stated it was coordinating with Divers Alert Network, a specialist diving organization, to support recovery operations and the repatriation of the bodies. The reason behind the deaths stays under investigation.<\/p>\n

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The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology on the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, based on the Maldivian government.<\/p>\n

Benedetti\u2019s body was recovered on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Montefalcone and Oddenino were within the Maldives on an official scientific mission to watch marine environments and study the results of climate change on tropical biodiversity, the University of Genoa said in a press release Friday. Nevertheless, the scuba diving activity during which the deadly accident occurred was not a part of the planned research and was \u201cundertaken privately,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

The statement also said the 2 other victims \u2014 student Sommacal and up to date graduate Gualtieri \u2014 weren’t involved within the scientific mission.<\/p>\n

Cave diving<\/a>\u00a0is a highly technical and dangerous activity that requires specialized training, equipment and strict safety protocols. Risks increase sharply in environments where divers cannot head straight up and at depth, particularly when conditions are poor. Experts say it\u2019s easy to change into disoriented or lost inside caves, particularly as sediment clouds can sharply reduce visibility.<\/p>\n

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