&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Five Italian divers killed in Maldives cave tragedy after scuba expedition turns deadly")
In what may be the worst single diving accident in the Maldives, five Italians have died in a scuba diving accident, confirmed the foreign ministry in Rome. "The divers are believed to have died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 metres (164ft)," said the ministry, adding that the tragic accident happened in Vaavu Atoll. All we know.
What happened?
According to Rome's foreign ministry, the divers were attempting to explore caves at a depth of 164ft. Four of them were part of a University of Genoa team. The team included professor of ecology Monica Montefalcone, who, as per her husband Carlo Sommacal, was "among the best divers in the world". Her daughter Giorgia Sommacal (22); Muriel Oddenino, 31, a research assistant in the same department as Montefalcone; 31-year-old Federico Gualtieri, a marine biology graduate and diving instructor who had recently completed his thesis on Maldivian coral under Montefalcone’s supervision; and Gianluca Benedetti, a seasoned diving instructor from Padua and operations manager for the Duke of York liveaboard were also part of the scuba diving expedition.
The five Italian divers were among the passengers of the Duke of York yacht. Maldives military officials confirmed that one body has been recovered from a cave nearly 60 metres underwater, while the remaining four divers are believed to still be inside the submerged cavern system.
The rescue operation itself has been labelled extremely dangerous, with specialist divers using advanced equipment due to the cave's depth, narrow passageways and hazardous conditions.
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Initial reports suggest the cave is made up of three large chambers connected by tight underwater corridors, making access exceptionally risky even for trained recovery teams.
What may have gone wrong?
The exact cause remains under investigation, but experts are already pointing to several possible dangers. "Oxygen toxicity" might be to blame, said dive master Maurizio Uras as quoted by the Guardian. Deep dives at 50 metres can expose divers to oxygen toxicity if breathing gas mixtures are not correctly calibrated. Combined with rough Indian Ocean currents, poor weather and confined cave spaces, even highly experienced teams can face fatal complications.
