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 reported.
They were retrieved from the third chamber of the underwater cave by specialist Finnish divers after a two-hour operation, according to Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a spokesperson for the Maldivian government.
The two bodies are being transported to the capital, Male, for identification. They were part of a group of five divers who tragically lost their lives in the incident, with two bodies yet to be recovered.
The first recovery occurred shortly after Thursday's accident, naming Gianluca Benedetti, a diving instructor and operations manager, as one of the victims. A Maldivian rescue diver also perished during the search efforts.
The remaining four missing divers were located in the cave by Finnish divers on Monday. This cave, locally dubbed the shark cave, reaches depths of up to 60 meters (197 feet) and poses significant challenges due to limited visibility and tight spaces.
The search for the remaining bodies is expected to resume soon, with officials hopeful they can retrieve them shortly. Understanding the circumstances of the accident will be imperative, especially as the diving team did not receive approval for deep-sea dives as part of their research efforts on climate change.
Weather conditions during the original dive were reportedly rough, with a yellow warning issued for passenger boats and fishermen at the time. The University of Genoa, which led the diving team, stated that the requests for diving were made outside the scope of their authorized research mission.
Monica Montefalcone, the associate professor leading the research, alongside her daughter and a recent graduate, were among the victims. Criticism has arisen regarding the university's position on the dive, and the family is seeking clarity and accountability in the wake of this tragedy.
