Four Italian Divers Repatriated After Fatal Deep-Cave Dive in Maldives; Probe Ordered

The remains of four Italian divers who died while exploring a deep underwater cave in the Maldives earlier this month have been repatriated, a Maldivian government spokesperson said on Saturday.

The group went missing on May 14 during a dive in Vaavu Atoll , where they were exploring a submerged cave system at a depth of around 50 metres (160 feet), well beyond the Maldives’ recreational diving limit of 30 metres. The body of their diving instructor was recovered outside the cave shortly after the incident and was sent back to Italy earlier.

A high-risk recovery operation to locate the remaining divers faced serious challenges and was temporarily suspended after a Maldivian military diver involved in the search died during the mission. The operation later resumed with the assistance of three Finnish expert deep- and cave-divers, who located the four missing bodies last week inside the innermost chamber of the cave at approximately 60 metres (200 feet). Authorities said the bodies were found “pretty much together.”

The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone , an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter Giorgia Sommacal ; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri ; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti .

Maldivian authorities have launched two separate investigations, one into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the Italian divers and another into the death of the Maldivian military diver who died during the recovery effort.

Officials also noted that while the group had obtained a diving permit, the exact cave location they intended to explore was not clearly disclosed. At least two of the deceased were reportedly not included in the list of researchers submitted to authorities.

Government spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said Italy has agreed to share autopsy findings, if conducted, as part of ongoing coordination between the two countries.

The incident has raised renewed concerns over deep-cave diving risks, permit oversight, and safety compliance in high-risk adventure expeditions.