Greenpeace
Monica Montefalcone, a researcher at the University of Genoa, led the expedition in which five divers died in the Maldives
The biggest diving accident in the history of the Maldives did not end with the deaths of five Italians. A diver from the Maldivian Armed Forces died this Saturday while searching for the bodies.
A diver from the Maldives Armed Forces died this Saturday morning, during the search operation for the bodies of four Italians still missing after a tragic dive in Felidhey atoll.
The soldier, identified as Sergeant Major Mohamed Mahadifelt unwell while participating in search and rescue operations and was transported in critical condition to ADK hospital in Malé. The death was however confirmed by the National Defense Forces of the Maldives, who announced the death in a post on the social network X.
According to the agency, local authorities suspect that the sergeant major died as a result of decompression sicknessa condition caused by the formation of gas bubbles, usually nitrogen, in the blood and tissues. The problem generally occurs when there is a rapid reduction in ambient pressure, as happens when a diver rises too quickly to the surface after immersion.
The soldier’s death worsened the drama that already involved the Italian community and the Maldivian teams mobilized to recover the bodies of the missing divers in an area of underwater caves.
The search operation comes after the disappearance of five Italian divers while diving in a cave system located around 50 meters deep. So far, only the body of Gianluca Benedetti has been recovered. The bodies of Monica Montefalcone, professor at the University of Genoa, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, and researchers Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri are still missing.
Reason to investigate
The Italian authorities are monitoring the case, and the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation to investigate the circumstances of the tragedy. Investigations are also progressing in the Maldives. According to the local press, authorities are trying to understand why the group of Italian divers fell below the 30 meter limit set for recreational diving in the country.
The Maldives Ministry of Tourism highlighted that security in the tourism sector is a responsibility shared by all operators and called for strict compliance with current regulations. The same ministry also announced that measures will be taken to reinforce safety standards.
According to the criteria generally applied to recreational diving in the Maldives, immersions are limited to approximately 30 metersexcept when carried out within the scope of specialized technical diving programs. These programs require advanced certifications, decompression planning and specific respiratory equipment.
Researchers will now have to analyze several elements: the immersion planning procedures, the divers’ certifications, the planned emergency measures and the equipment used. You data from dive computers and images captured by underwater cameras, notably the GoPro used by one of the victims, could be essential to reconstruct the sequence of events.
Following the accident, the Maldives Ministry of Tourism suspended for an indefinite period the operating license of the vessel MV Duke of York, where the 25 Italian tourists were staying, including the five divers involved in the tragedy. The suspension was justified by the seriousness of the incident. The vessel has already arrived in Malé, capital of the Maldives.
Not sea, eight Maldivian divers take turns in recovery operations. The first two members of the team have already dived to identify and precisely mark the entry point into the cave system where the Italians disappeared. Another six divers must carry out new descents, in successive shifts, with the aim of locating the bodies and bringing them to the surface. Adverse weather conditions had already forced the temporary interruption of work the day before.
According to the Maldivian presidential spokesman, Mohammed Hussain Shareef, rescuers prepared a plan based on the progress made during the exploration of the cave. Two Italians — a deep-sea rescue specialist and a cave diving specialist — are expected to join the recovery operations.
In Italy, the commotion is particularly felt in Genoa, where Monica Montefalcone was a university professor. On the door of her office, a large bouquet of flowers was left by the students, who remember the teacher with deep admiration, according to ANSA. The University of Genoa kept the flag at half-mast in mourning. On social media, messages of condolence are multiplying over the death of the teacher and her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, 23 years old, remembered by former teachers and colleagues as a brilliant young woman and deeply connected to her mother and the sea.
