Malé - Following the tragic diving accident in the Vaavu Atoll in the Maldives, efforts to recover the four Italian victims who are still missing are entering the decisive phase. A three-man Finnish special team from the Dan Europe organization, consisting of Sami Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund and Patrik Grönqvist, began the first exploratory dives in the waters of Alimathà this Monday morning.
According to Maldivian government spokesman Mohammed Hussain Sharif, the experts will not be venturing to great depths today, but will carry out orientation dives. However, the lawyer for the family of one of the victims confirmed that the lifeless bodies were located in a third section of the cave at a depth of around 60 meters. The actual recovery of the victims - explorer Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri - is due to begin tomorrow, Tuesday. The fifth victim of the group, Gianluca Benedetti, was already rescued last Friday.
Complicated recovery and unanswered questions
The operation is considered extremely complex due to the nature of the underwater cave. The Speleosub experts are using special rebreathers, a Trimix breathing gas mixture of nitrogen, helium and oxygen adapted to this depth, and diving scooters. The search operation had previously been interrupted after a local military diver lost his life during a rescue attempt. He was buried with military honors on Saturday, sparking discussion on social media about the circumstances of the incident.
Investigations into licenses
While the remaining 20 Italian passengers, who were also on board the boat „Duke of York“, arrived at Milan Malpensa Airport yesterday evening, the local authorities are concentrating on the background to the accident. According to government spokesman Sharif, the research team had a permit valid until 17 May for scientific dives to a depth of 50 meters. However, two of the five people involved in the accident were not on the list of authorized participants. In addition, a cave dive - the entrance to the cave in question is at 47 meters - was not explicitly mentioned in the research application. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry in Rome (Farnesina) has assured its support for the returnees and the relatives of the victims.
