Italian Divers Who Died in Maldives Didn’t Have Proper Scuba Gear and Were Just Minutes Away from Reaching Surface As Shocking New Details Emerge
The five Italian divers who drowned in the Maldives reportedly were not equipped with proper scuba gear for the trip and were only about 15 minutes away from reaching the surface when the tragedy happened.
Finnish diver Sami Paakkarinen told the Sun that a “tragic human error” played a major role in the May 14 disaster, which claimed the lives of the group nearly 200 feet underwater. Paakkarinen also said that four of the victims’ bodies were found together. “Unfortunately, in most cave diving accidents, the main cause is always human error,” he said. The victims did not have essential cave-diving equipment when they entered the waters, the rescuer said.
Shocking Details
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He also said that divers didn’t have a diving reel and guide rope, which are considered critical for that type of dive. “The equipment we found them with wasn’t optimal, they weren’t using underwater caving gear,” he noted.
“In general, people who explore caves know it’s extremely dangerous to do so without a safety line,” Paakkarinen said while discussing the tragedy.
Authorities later recovered the bodies of Monica Montefalcone, 52, her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal, researcher Muriel Oddenino, 31, and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri, 31, on Monday after the deadly underwater incident.
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The group disappeared on May 14 while taking part in a deep-water dive inside an underwater cave nearly 164 feet below the surface in the Maldives’ Vaavu Atoll. Officials later described the incident as the deadliest diving tragedy in the island nation’s history.
Rescue teams launched an extensive search operation after the divers failed to return. The body of diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti was recovered on the day of the accident and flown back to Italy on Tuesday.
The remains of the other victims, recovered days later during difficult underwater searches, were repatriated early Saturday as grieving families prepared for funerals and memorial services back home.
