Italy repatriates four divers after Maldives cave deaths

repatriated four – The remains of four Italian divers who died during a cave dive in the Maldives were repatriated early Saturday, with coffins arriving at Milan’s Malpensa Airport. Two investigations were launched by the Maldives—one into the deaths and another into the death o

Early Saturday. the coffins arrived at Milan’s Malpensa Airport carrying the remains of four Italian divers who died deep inside an underwater cave in the Maldives earlier this month. A Maldivian government spokesperson said the repatriation happened “early Saturday. ” and the bodies were taken to a morgue where autopsies are due to begin on Monday. according to Italian news agency LaPresse.

The mission was built on urgent recovery—but it was also marked by loss before it could reach the divers. Five Italian divers went missing on May 14 while exploring the cave in Vaavu Atoll, about 50 meters (160 feet) inside. At the time. the body of their Italian diving instructor was recovered outside the cave and has already been returned home.

Recovering the remaining divers required a high-risk operation that faced hurdles immediately. The effort was initially suspended after Mohamed Mahudhee, a Maldivian military diver who was part of the recovery team, was killed.

The search continued with additional expertise. Three Finnish expert deep and cave divers joined the mission and located the four bodies last week in the innermost chamber of the cave at a depth of around 60 meters (200 feet). That depth mattered because recreational diving in the Maldives is limited to 30 meters (98 feet).

Maldives President’s Spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef said on Saturday that two investigations were initiated: one into the death of the five divers, and another probing how Mahudhee died while on duty. Shareef also said Italy agreed to share any findings of autopsies on the repatriated bodies.

The four 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.

Ahmed Shaam. another government spokesperson. said earlier the four bodies were found “pretty much together.” He also pointed to lingering gaps around how the dive was planned. The divers had a permit. but authorities did not know from their proposal the exact location of the cave they were exploring. Maldivian authorities also said at least two of the dead were not on the list of researchers that had been submitted.

Together. the details sketch a grim sequence: a cave dive in Vaavu Atoll that began with five Italian divers missing on May 14; an instructor recovered outside the cave; a recovery attempt interrupted by the death of Mohamed Mahudhee; then the bodies of the remaining four found last week in the cave’s innermost chamber at around 60 meters. Now. with repatriation complete and autopsies scheduled to begin on Monday. the investigations launched by the Maldives will determine how the deaths happened—and how a recovery mission member was killed while doing the work meant to bring them home.

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