World3 min(s) read
Published 14:47 18 May 2026 GMT
Further details have been revealed about the "shark cave" where six people - five tourists and a recovery diver - tragically lost their lives in the Maldives last week.
As previously reported, authorities were alerted to the disappearance of five divers as they explored caves around Vaavu Atoll on Thursday morning, after they failed to resurface.
The alarm was raised at around 1.45PM local time, and an urgent search operation was immediately launched.
Tragically, the five people - identified by Italian media as four divers part of a University of Genoa research team and another tourist - all lost their lives, as well as rescue diver Sergeant Major Mohamed Mahudhee, who passed away while helping with recovery operations.
The deceased were named as University of Genoa ecology professor Monica Montefalcone and her 20-year-old daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, Muriel Oddenino, Federico Gualtieri, and dive leader Gianluca Benedetti.
Benedetti's body was the first to be recovered, with the other four remaining trapped under the water until they were able to be removed on Monday.
Authorities have since confirmed that the four bodies were found in a "shark cave" after locating the remains of the missing divers inside Thinwana Kandu cave by a rescue group from the Divers Alert Network Europe.
Laura Marroni, the CEO of DAN Europe, the team behind the recovery mission, said: "Today’s result is the outcome of extraordinary preparation, technical excellence, and exceptional teamwork.
"We are deeply grateful to the specialists on site, who are operating with professionalism, discipline, and humanity in demanding environments."
The University of Genoa shares its "deep sorrow" at the loss of four of its members, saying in a statement: "The University of Genoa expresses its deep sorrow for the sudden and tragic death of Monica Montefalcone, associate professor of Ecology at the Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences - DISTAV, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, a UniGe student in Biomedical Engineering, Muriel Oddenino, a research fellow at DISTAV, and Federico Gualtieri, a recent UniGe graduate in Marine Biology and Ecology.
"The sympathy of the entire university community goes out to the families, colleagues and students who shared their human and professional journey."
The divers are believed to have descended to depths of 160ft to explore the cave, despite the Maldives having a recreational diving limit of 30 meters (98 feet).
The cause of deaths of the five tourists have yet to be confirmed, and it is hoped that GoPro footage from the divers may shed more light on what went so tragically wrong during the excursion.
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