Finnish rescue divers have put forward a new theory regarding the tragic deaths of five Italian scuba divers who perished while exploring deep-sea caves in the Maldives. The final two bodies from the group were recovered on Wednesday, marking what authorities believe to be the deadliest diving accident in the country's history.
The Incident
The divers disappeared last Thursday while exploring a cave in Vaavu Atoll. The body of their diving instructor was found outside the cave, while the other two bodies were recovered from a depth of 60 metres on Tuesday. The remaining two were brought up on Wednesday, completing the recovery operation.
New Hypothesis
Laura Marroni, CEO of Dan Europe, the medical research organisation that employed the professional divers involved in the recovery, shared a hypothesis with La Repubblica. She believes the Italians may have taken a wrong turn in the cave complex, ending up in a corridor with no exit.
The cave near Alimatha is accessible after a 50-metre dive, opening into a large bright cavern. A 30-metre corridor connects this to a darker second chamber, but the lack of light can disorient divers. A rising sand bank in the second chamber might resemble a wall, misleading divers into a dead-end passage instead of the exit.
Time Constraints
The divers were using tanks of approximately 12 litres, providing only about 10 minutes to explore the second cave. Marroni estimated that if they entered the wrong corridor, panic would have accelerated their air consumption, further reducing their limited oxygen supply.
"Realising that the path is the wrong one and having little air, perhaps after going back and forth, is terrifying. Then you breathe quickly and the air supply decreases," she explained.
Victims
The group was led by Monica Montefalcone, 51, a marine ecologist and professor at the University of Genoa, who was an experienced diver in Maldivian waters. The others included her daughter Giorgia, biomedical engineering student Muriel Oddenino, research fellow Federico Gualtieri, and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti.
Ongoing Investigation
Presidential spokesperson Shareef stated that the cave had been explored before by local and foreign divers, but conditions were known to be challenging due to difficult terrain, strong currents, and poor visibility. Other theories, such as the group being sucked into the cave and running out of oxygen, have also been suggested. Maldivian authorities continue to investigate the incident.
