Five Italian tourists died during an underwater diving trip in the Maldives after going missing in Vaavu Atoll while descending to depths of about 50-60m. Staff on the boat alerted authorities at about 1.45pm local time, more than an hour after the divers were expected to resurface.
One body was recovered around 6.15pm, while four others were still missing at that time. The Maldives’ military later said the body was found in an underwater cave. Local authorities said the incident was the worst single diving accident in the country and opened an investigation.
Among the dead was Monica Montefalcone, 51 years old, a marine biologist, television personality and professor of tropical marine ecology and underwater science at the University of Genoa. She was traveling with her 20-year-old daughter, Giorgia Sommacal. The other victims were Muriel Oddenino, Gianluca Benedetti and Federico Gualtieri.
Montefalcone and Oddenino were colleagues at the University of Genoa, which added another layer of grief to a disaster that has cut through one academic circle as well as one family group. Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the incident and said in a statement: “Following an accident during a scuba dive, five Italians died in the Vaavu atoll, in the Maldives,” while Italian authorities said they were contacting the victims’ families to provide consular assistance.
The trip had been taking place aboard the Duke of York, a luxury ship built in 2010 and designed to carry passengers to scuba diving destinations across the Maldives. The vessel has 11 luxury cabins across three decks and can accommodate up to 21 guests; each guest paid just over €2000 for a week-long cruise.
A yellow alert was in effect in the dive area because of rough seas and worsening weather, conditions that may have complicated both the dive and the response. Respiratory expert Claudio Micheletto said the sudden deaths of multiple divers may have been caused by oxygen toxicity, but authorities have not confirmed the cause.
The Maldives draws divers from around the world, and the country’s dive industry depends on a reputation for clear water and controlled conditions. This accident has shaken that image, and the investigation now has to answer not just how five experienced tourists vanished beneath the surface, but why the warning signs did not stop the dive or bring the group back in time.
