Extreme depth made fatal cave dive perilous at luxury honeymoon destination

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The search for the remaining bodies of the Italian divers who perished inside a deepunderwater cave in the Maldivescontinued Tuesday, as officials described the recovery mission as “very challenging.”

The five Italians, who went missing on Thursday, were killed while diving nearUNDERWATER TRAGEDY IN MALDIVES LEAVES FAMILIES SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS AFTER CAVE DEATHS

Mohamed Hussain Shareef, spokesperson for Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, told the AP the operation was especially dangerous because of the cave’s extreme depth.

“Number one, because of the depth.Number two, because of [the] actual terrain, because that specific channel has strong currents, strong downdrafts down toward — and the conditions down there, the visibility, for example, once you enter the cave, would be almost zero,” he said.

The victims included Giorgia Sommacal, Muriel Oddenino and Monica Montefalcone, all shown above.(Facebook/Giorgia Sommacal;Facebook/Muriel Oddenino;Greenpeace Italia/AP)

Shareef said the cave had been explored by both foreign divers and local experts before the tragedy.

The official confirmed that the Italian divers had permits to explore it, but authorities were not sure of the precise area ofthe cave they were diving in.

recreational divingin the Maldives, according to the AP.

Shareef said at least two of the dead divers were not included on the expedition list submitted to authorities before the dive.

Divers preparing on a boat near Alimathaa Island in the Maldives

Rescue divers are shown preparing to search for missing Italian divers near Alimathaa Island, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, on May 15, 2026.(Maldives President’s Media Division/AP)

“[We] didn’t know they were part of the expedition,” he said.“Actually a very challenging dive, you know.”

the Finnish teamassisting in the recovery operation located the bodies deep inside the cave, where all four victims were found “pretty much together,” the AP said.

The victims were identified as University of Genoa ecology professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, marine biologist Federico Gualtieri, researcher Muriel Oddenino, and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti.

Tourists sitting at beach in the Maldives

The Maldives, southwest of India and Sri Lanka, is famous for its beaches, coral reefs and luxury island resorts.(Carl Court/Getty Images)

Vaavu Atoll is a chain of islands in the central Maldives, located southwest of Sri Lanka and India.

Authorities were alerted after the divers failed to surface by midday Thursday amid rough weather conditions, according to the AP.

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The cause of the deaths remains under investigation, though the group included experienced divers and marine researchersfamiliar with underwater exploration.

Carlo Sommacal, Montefalcone’s husband, told local newspaper La Repubblica that his wife “would never have put the life of our daughter or other kids at risk.”

Officials in the Maldives have been trying to retrieve the remaining deceased members of the group that perished during a dive. (Maldives National Defense Force)

“Something must have happened,” he said in a different interview with an Italian television station, per the AP.

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