Maldives Recovers Last 2 Italian Divers, Ending Search After 5 Died in Cave Accident
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 20
Maldives Recovers Last 2 Italian Divers, Ending Search After 5 Died in Cave Accident
8 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 20
The final two bodies of the five Italian divers killed in the Maldives' deadliest diving accident were recovered Wednesday, completing a days-long search at the Devana Kandu site.
Authorities said the group had entered a deepwater cave last week under permit to research soft corals and are investigating several possible causes, including whether they descended much deeper than planned.
Preliminary identification has confirmed the victims were Italian; officials said DNA checks will continue through Interpol and all bodies will be repatriated to Italy.
The group was led by University of Genoa professor Monica Montefalcone and included her daughter; a specialist team from Finland helped recover two bodies on Tuesday after the instructor was found Friday.
The toll also included a Maldives National Defence Force diver, who died of decompression illness during Saturday's recovery effort, underscoring the risks of the operation.
A professor and daughter died diving. Was it a research mission gone wrong, or a reckless private trip with fatal consequences?
Why did expert divers use recreational gear for a fatal technical dive, and what are the twenty other survivors hiding?