A devastating double tragedy has unfolded off the coast of the Maldives, where a rescue diver has lost his life during operations to recover the remains of five Italian divers who died in an earlier catastrophic scuba incident. The accident, already marked as the deadliest single diving disaster in the history of the popular Indian Ocean tourist destination, has compounded grief on both sides of the continent.
The first incident unfolded on Thursday morning, when a group of five Italian divers entered the water at Vaavu Atoll, a remote reef system located roughly 100 kilometers south of the Maldivian capital Male. The group never returned to their departure yacht, the Duke of York, prompting an immediate search and rescue operation. Local authorities confirmed that a yellow weather warning for rough sea conditions was already in effect for the area before the divers entered the water.
Four members of the deceased group are affiliated with the University of Genoa: ecology professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, and two university researchers. The fifth fatality was Gianluca Benedetti, an experienced diving instructor and boat operations manager contracted for the expedition. As of Saturday, just one body has been recovered from a deep cave system located 60 meters below sea level – twice the maximum depth permitted for recreational scuba diving in Maldivian waters, which is capped at 30 meters. Officials say it remains unclear why the group chose to explore the deep, unregulated cave system.
The 20 other Italian nationals who remained aboard the Duke of York during the dive were unharmed, and are now receiving consular support from the Italian Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
On Saturday, the mission to recover the four remaining bodies claimed a new casualty: Staff Sgt Mohamed Mahdhee, a Maldivian military rescue diver. Government spokesperson Mohamed Hossain Shareef told the BBC that eight rescue divers entered the water that day, but only seven returned to the surface. When fellow rescuers returned to search for Mahdhee, they found he had blacked out at depth. He was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Maldives military officials have emphasized that the recovery operation carries extreme risk, worsened by persistent unfavorable weather conditions that have complicated search efforts. Following news of Mahdhee’s death, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu traveled to Vaavu Atoll to personally oversee ongoing operations and meet with response teams.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani offered his official condolences to the people of Maldives following the second loss of life. “These days of grief for Italy are compounded by the news that one of your brave soldiers… died while attempting to dive to reach the bodies of our fellow Italians,” Tajani said in a statement. “This tragedy unites Italy and the Maldives in grief and respect for the victims.”