The mission to recover the bodies of the Italian divers who died in the Maldives has officially ended, with the bodies expected in Italy in the next few days. Dan Europe also published the first images taken in the deepest areas of the cave on social media. Meanwhile Sami Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund, Patrik Grönqvist, the three Finnish divers who returned inside the cave in the Vaavu atoll, wanted to express their condolences through a video: “We want to extend our condolences to the families of the missing divers. We are very happy to have been able to help and we are grateful to Dan Europe, the Italian embassy, the Maldivian defense forces and all the volunteers who helped us during this mission. Thank you also for the first messages received, because they were really nice, and sorry if we were not able to reply to everyone, but thank you”.
The story of the three Finnish divers
What happened during the dive that cost the lives of Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, Muriel Oddenino, Federico Gualtieri and Gianluca Benedetti is yet to be ascertained, but as can be seen from the story of the three Finnish divers, the cave in which the bodies were found was very complex to deal with: “The bodies were all together in one portion of the cave – Sami Paakkarinen explained to ANSA – We were very relieved when we found them because we were a long time on the first dive without spotting them and we were starting to think that they were no longer there. So there was relief thinking that we would recover them and bring them to the surface.”
The Dan Europe subspeleologist then described the characteristics of the cave into which the Italians had ventured: “It is very deep, about 60 metres. It is not very long, about 200 metres, but it is very demanding. We have explored longer and deeper ones, every cave is a risky environment but I would define this one as very demanding. After having verified the characteristics of the underwater cavity, the priority was the safety of us divers. We did not want accidents to happen during the recovery of the bodies”.
The dynamics to be ascertained
For now, the rescue team is not making any statements about the dynamics of the accident which involved the group of Italians, who were trapped in a ravine inside the second chamber of the cave. In all likelihood, the divers lost their orientation, no longer being able to take the connecting corridor to return to the first room, the only one with an opening to the outside. Stuck in the tunnel, they would have run out of air in their 12-litre cylinders, a standard supply for recreational activities only. Faced with this tragedy, the Finnish expert made a pressing appeal to the local authorities: “The Maldives government must address the issue with the utmost seriousness. It is essential to draw a clear boundary between recreational and technical diving, sharing data to prevent similar tragedies. It therefore becomes a priority to map the entire cave, provide correct information to divers and impose that exploration takes place exclusively with the appropriate equipment and the necessary training.”
The team of experts resurfaces after recovering the dead Italian divers in the Maldives – The video
Photos by Dan Europe
Dan Europe also published the first shots taken in the internal chambers on social media: “This series of images documents the most confined internal sections of the cave, where visibility can quickly disappear due to disturbed coral sediment and navigation becomes more complex. These are the environments in which the rescue team has operated during the search and recovery mission in recent days.”
In the first part of the images, the most external areas are shown: “Here the rescue team at work inside the initial section of the Thinwana Kandu cave, where natural light still filters in from the entrance”.
The return of the bodies
The return to Italy of the bodies of Monica Montefalcone, a professor at the University of Genoa, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, the researcher Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri, a recent graduate of the Genoese university, is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday 23 May. Immediately after arriving at Malpensa airport on a Turkish Airlines flight, an autopsy will be performed on the bodies of the four divers who were victims of the underwater tragedy in the Maldives.
The autopsy tests will be fundamental to clarify the exact dynamics of what happened in the waters of Vaavu atoll. The first investigation will instead concern Gianluca Benedetti, the 44-year-old head instructor originally from Padua, whose body was the first to be recovered by rescuers. In his case, the exam has already been scheduled for Monday 25 May.