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A group of five divers from Italy disappeared while exploring caves in the Maldives, leading to a major search and rescue operation. The decision to dive below the permitted depth and the cave's notorious difficulty have been questioned by experts.
A man whose marine biologist wife perished during a diving expedition in the Maldives fears 'something must have happened down there' as mystery surrounds the five divers' deaths.
The group, from Italy, had set off on a diving expedition on Thursday morning to explore the Vaavu atoll but never resurfaced. The decision to try and reach the cave has been questioned by experts, with three key elements raised: Firstly, a weather warning was in place. High winds whip up waves which in turn could dislodge sand and dirt, obscuring visibility. Secondly, tourists are not meant to dive below 30 metres.
The cave is around 60 metres below the surface. And finally, the cave itself is notoriously difficult to reach. Maldives government spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef said that the cave 'is so deep that even divers with the best equipment do not try to approach'.
'There will be a separate investigation into how these divers went below the permitted depth, but our focus right now is on the search and rescue,' he added. One of the victims is 51-year-old Monica Montefalcone, a respected marine biologist, TV personality, and professor of Tropical Marine Ecology and Underwater Science at the University of Genoa. Her 22-year-old daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, also died. Carlo Sommacal, Montefalcone's husband and Giorgia's father, broke his silence following their deaths.
Devastated Sommacal insisted that 'my wife is among the best divers on earth,' and said she wouldn't have put anyone in the group in danger. One of the victims has been named as Monica Montefalcone, a professor and researcher at the University of Genoa Giorgia Sommacal, 22, Monica Montefalcone's daughter, also died.
'She would never have put our daughter's life or that of others at risk... something must have happened down there,' he said. 'Maybe one of them had trouble, maybe the oxygen tanks, I have no idea. ' The three other victims have been named as Muriel Oddenino of Turin, Gianluca Benedetti of Padua, and Federico Gualtieri from Omegna.
The group had boarded the 'luxury' Duke of York yacht, a foreign-operated live-aboard diving vessel, and they disappeared near Alimatha, one of the atoll's most popular diving spots. The five divers were believed to have been exploring caves at a depth of 164ft when they went missing.
'The weather is not ideal for diving, and we are facing very rough seas. We have deployed our largest Coast Guard vessel to the area, and Italian diplomats are also on site,' government spokesman Shareef added. Maldivian authorities launched a major rescue operation after the incident on Thursday, deploying boats, aircraft and dive teams to search the area.
Rescuers recovered one body from about 200 feet below the surface on Thursday, and a first round of searches failed to locate the remaining four divers, who were thought to be inside the same cave. According to reports, the first body recovered yesterday in the Maldives after the tragic dive by Italian divers was that of Gianluca Benedetti.
Muriel Oddenino was also a researcher at the University of Genoa Search teams embarked on a second dive on Friday, to no avail. Italy's ambassador was on a search vessel, and the Maldives may seek international assistance if needed. The search for the remaining four bodies will now resume on Saturday.
The Italian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Damiano Francovigh, told broadcaster SkyTg24: 'The Maldivian Coast Guard conducted a dive, and entered this cave, which they tell me is 62 meters deep.
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Maldives Diving Cave Search And Rescue Weather Italian Divers Monica Montefalcone Giorgia Sommacal Carlo Sommacal Muriel Oddenino Gianluca Benedetti Federico Gualtieri
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