The remains of four Italian divers who died in a deep underwater cave in the Maldives earlier this month were repatriated to Italy on Saturday.
The four coffins arrived at Milan’s Malpensa Airport midday, where the bodies were transferred to a morgue. Autopsies are scheduled to commence on Monday, according to Italian news agency LaPresse.
A group of five Italian divers initially went missing on May 14 while exploring a cave approximately 50 meters (160 feet) deep in Vaavu Atoll. The body of their Italian diving instructor had been recovered outside the cave shortly after the incident and was repatriated previously.
The high-risk recovery operation for the remaining four faced significant hurdles, including an initial suspension after Mohamed Mahudhee, a Maldivian military diver involved in the effort, was killed.
Three Finnish expert deep and cave divers joined the mission and successfully located the four bodies last week in the innermost chamber of the cave, at a depth of around 60 meters (200 feet). This depth significantly exceeds the recreational diving limit in the Maldives, which stands at 30 meters (98 feet).
Maldives President’s Spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef announced Saturday that two investigations have been launched: one into the deaths of the five divers and another probing the circumstances of Mahudhee’s death while on duty. Shareef added that Italy has agreed to share any findings from the autopsies conducted on the repatriated bodies.
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.
Government spokesperson Ahmed Shaam previously stated the four bodies were found “pretty much together.”
While the divers possessed a permit, Maldivian authorities indicated that their proposal did not specify the exact location of the cave they were exploring.
Furthermore, at least two of the deceased individuals were not listed on the submitted roster of researchers, raising questions about the expedition’s full authorization.
Alfonso Bolognini, president of the Italian Society of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, theorised that two things could have happened.
“Either everyone was sucked in or one was sucked in and the others attempted a rescue,” he told the Italian outlet Adnkronos.
Maldivian authorities are investigating multiple possible causes, including whether the group descended far deeper than expected.
The government said it had suspended the operating licence of the dive boat the Italian divers were using.
