Italian authorities have launched an investigation after the deaths of five Italian divers in the Maldives, and rescue services are still trying to retrieve the bodies from the underwater caves where they disappeared.
Investigators are considering several possible causes of the tragedy during the dive at a depth of about 50 meters. So far, one body has been recovered.
The search was temporarily suspended on Friday due to bad weather conditions, and eight Maldivian divers are participating in the rescue operation. The public prosecutor’s office in Rome has opened an investigation into the accident, it says Euronews.
In the Maldives, recreational diving is allowed up to a depth of 30 meters, while greater depths require special permits.
The alarm was raised after the group did not return at the agreed time after a one-hour dive.
Local authorities are investigating several possible scenarios. All victims were experienced professional divers with advanced certifications.
One theory is that the divers got lost in the cave after sand, lifted by ocean currents, reduced visibility. The possibility of problems with gases in diving bottles is also being investigated, he reports Dnevnik.hr
According to another theory, it is possible that one of the divers got trapped in the cave and the others ran out of oxygen while trying to rescue him.
Investigators are also checking whether all safety procedures, including a safety rope known as Ariadne’s thread, were used during the dive.
They suffered Monica Montefalconeprofessor of marine biology at the University of Genoa, and her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal. Montefalcone was a well-known television personality, researcher and expert on the marine environment.
Apart from the mother and daughter, they perished Muriel Oddenino from Turin, Gianluca Benedetti from Padua and Federico Gualtieri from Borgomanero.
Muriel Oddenino she was an assistant at the same university, while Gualtieri was also a young scientist. Gianluca Benedetti was the diving instructor.
(TIP/Photo: Social networks/Screenshot)
