World3 min(s) read
Published 11:41 15 May 2026 GMT
Police have launched an investigation after five Italian divers died 160 feet underwater in the Maldives.
The adventurous tourists were exploring caves around Vaavu when the tragic accident happened on Thursday morning.
Local authorities scrambled to the scene after being alerted about the group’s disappearance at around 1.45 pm local time, and an urgent search operation was launched.
The holiday makers have been identified by Italian media as four divers part of a University of Genoa research team and another tourist.
Two of the victims were a university ecology professor, Monica Montefalcone, and her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal.
The three other divers, two of whom were researchers, have been named as Muriel Oddenino of Turin, Gianluca Benedetti of Padua, and Federico Gualtieri of the northern town of Borgomanero.
Reports say it was the crew of the Duke of York yacht, a foreign-operated live-aboard diving vessel, that reported the group missing after they failed to surface.
Reportedly, they disappeared near Alimatha, one of the island group’s most popular diving sites.
According to the Maldives' military, one body was found in a cave about 60m underwater, and the other four divers were believed to be also there.
It added that rescue divers with special equipment had been sent to the area, as the search operation was very high-risk.
Local authorities reported that the weather on Thursday, May 15, was rough in the area, around 100km (62 miles) south of the capital Malé.
A yellow warning was issued for passenger boats and fishermen as strong winds of around 30mph stirred the sea.
The incident is believed to be the worst single diving accident in the tiny Indian Ocean nation, a popular tourist destination because of its string of coral islands.
Italy‘s foreign ministry said, “Following an accident during a scuba dive, five Italians died in the Vaavu atoll, in the Maldives.”
It added that the five died “while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 meters”.
While the official causes of death have not been reported, the Italian media claim they could have been caused by oxygen toxicity.
This is the primary safety concern for divers and is responsible for most sudden diving fatalities.
It occurs during short exposures to very high partial pressures of oxygen.
It usually occurs at depths greater than 66 meters on air, or shallower on enriched air nitrox, which is most commonly used by divers.
