Five SCUBA divers died on a trip to the Maldives, and search-and-rescue divers are still searching for four of the bodies. The group of five Italian citizens, including a SCUBA diving guide, were exploring an underwater cave when something happened, and they never surfaced.
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The group was exploring near the Vaavu Atoll when they decided to dive into an underwater cave about 160 feet deep. Most recreational divers don’t attempt these depths. PADI considers diving below 100 feet “advanced,” and it requires an Advanced Open Water Diver certification.
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Four of the deceased individuals were associated with the University of Genoa in Italy. The university provided this statement on its website:
“The University of Genoa expresses its deep sorrow for the sudden and tragic death of Monica Montefalcone, associate professor of Ecology at the Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences – DISTAV, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, a UniGe student in Biomedical Engineering, Muriel Oddenino, a research fellow at DISTAV, and Federico Gualtieri, a recent UniGe graduate in Marine Biology and Ecology.”
The fifth individual is believed to be Gianluca Benedetti, the SCUBA guide.
This situation is still developing, and details may change.
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