Five Italians on a research trip were killed during a dive into the 160 ft deep 'shark cave' in the Devana Kandu cave system last week.
In total six people have died during the dive, including ecology professor Monica Montefalcone and her daughter Giorgia Sommacal cave diving instructor may have ‘intentionally swam away’ from a tourist group where six people have died as they entered ‘pitch black cave’.
The bodies of ecology professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, researcher Muriel Oddenino, and marine biologist Federico Gualtieri were discovered yesterday. Two bodies of those found yesterday have now been brought to the surface, with the other two expected to be recovered tomorrow in a ‘technically complex operation’. In total six people have been killed as part of the cave dive, with Maldivian military rescue diver Mohamed Mahudhee dying from decompression illness on Saturday during a recovery mission.
Researcher Muriel Oddenino had been on an official scientific mission with Ms Montefalcone prior to the dive The group was on a research trip about soft corals on Thursday morning when the group is believed to have died around 160 ft deep. Monica’s husband and dad of Giorgia Carlo Sommacal told Italian media his wife ‘was one of the best divers in the world’ and would never put his daughter at risk.
Monica Montefalcone was in the Maldives on a research trip, but undertook the tour privately. Gianluca Benedetti’s body was the first to be recovered last week Shafraz Naeem, a Maldivian diving veteran who has explored the Devana Kandu cave system over 30 times, said he believes ‘rules were broken’ during the dive. He said light only reaches the first chamber and is pitch black beyond it, adding he believes the instructor ‘intentionally swam away’.
‘Maybe he legged it up before he ran out of air. The rest of the group died in that third chamber and Benedetti died in the passageway trying to get out. ’Dad killed by shark after it took a chunk out of his leg in front of friendsGianluca’s body was the first to be recovered from near the mouth of the Thinwana Kandu cave on Thursday.
The Italian tour operator that managed the diving trip has denied authorising or knowing about the group’s deep dive, which exceeded local limits, its lawyer told Italian local publication Corriere della Sera. Barney DavisAre we about to have the hottest May day since 1944? Mystery Escape
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