World2 min(s) read
Published 09:55 19 May 2026 GMT
The first two bodies of four Italian tourists who died in a cave 60 feet underwater last week have been recovered by expert divers.
The bodies of Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, Muriel Oddenino, and Federico Gualtieri were discovered on Monday but not immediately brought to the surface due to the complicated nature of the dive.
In a technically challenging mission, two have now been brought to the surface, officials said.
The two remaining bodies are set to be recovered on Wednesday in a “technically complex” operation.
Every attempt to reach the bodies lasts three hours and is immediately called off if any obstacle is encountered.
The rescue mission has required Specialised equipment, including underwater scooters and gas tanks that recycle air, to be sent over from the UK and Australia.
Finnish elite diving trio, Sami Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund, and Patrik Grönqvist, arrived on the island nation on Sunday to help local authorities with the search.
The divers took part in the successful rescue of 13 boys from a Thai soccer team in 2018 after days trapped in a cave, which got international media attention.
The expert group can dive to depths of nearly 500ft a key skill which very few divers in the world are qualified to do.
The rescue team was assembled in 48 hours and dispatched by DAN Europe to search the Alimatha cave complex near the Vaavu Atoll.
The organisation said the coming days “will be dedicated to the highly delicate recovery procedures.
“This marks an important milestone in an operation that remains technically demanding, emotionally challenging, and operationally complex.”
Around 60 miles south of the capital Male, Thinwana Kandu cave, is known locally as “Shark Cave”.
The entrance to the cave is between 180 and 190ft, forking into different tunnels, and quickly becoming pitch-black.
Thankfully, this recovery mission is underway successfully as several local search efforts were ruined by bad weather in the area over the weekend.
A local search diver, Sgt. Major Mohamed Mahudhee also lost his life to the Maldives’ worst-ever diving disaster when he died trying to locate the missing tourists on Saturday.
