The bodies of all five Italian scuba divers who died inside an underwater cave in the Maldives last week have been recovered, and two separate investigations into the deaths have been launched, according to The Associated Press.
On May 14, the group of five vanished during a dive that reached roughly 50 meters (160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll — a depth that far exceeds the Maldives' 30-meter recreational limit. Gianluca Benedetti, the group's diving instructor, was recovered from just outside the cave entrance on the same day the divers went missing. A three-person Finnish dive team, working alongside Maldivian police and military personnel, found the other four victims Monday in the deepest recesses of the cave system, at approximately 60 meters (200 feet) below the surface, according to the AP.
Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa, and Federico Gualtieri, a recent marine biology graduate, were brought to the surface Tuesday. The final two — Muriel Oddenino, a University of Genoa research fellow, and Montefalcone's daughter, Giorgia Sommacal — were recovered Wednesday, according to NBC News.
Divers Alert Network Europe sent the Finnish team, which relied on closed-circuit rebreather technology — devices that chemically scrub carbon dioxide from exhaled air and recirculate the breathing gas, extending the time divers can remain underwater. On its website, Divers Alert Network Europe said the Finnish divers brought extensive international experience to search and recovery missions, noting their background in what the group called "deep overhead environments, confined spaces and high-risk scenarios," according to the AP.
