Tragic Discovery: Bodies of Missing Italian Divers Recovered in Maldives

Mon Jun 01 2026 09:46:10 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Two bodies of Italian divers who drowned during a scuba diving accident in the Maldives have been recovered, with ongoing efforts to retrieve the remaining two still missing. The operation has raised concerns about the dive's authorization and safety protocols.

In a tragic turn of events, the bodies of two Italian divers who perished in a scuba diving incident in the Maldives have been retrieved. Local officials confirmed that the bodies were located in an underwater cave known as 'shark cave.' The complex recovery operation involved specialist divers from Finland. Meanwhile, the dive team, part of a scientific exploration, is facing scrutiny over their authorization to conduct deep-sea dives. Efforts to locate the remaining two missing divers will continue as investigations into the incident unfold.

The bodies of two Italians who drowned in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives last week have been brought to the surface, local officials have told the BBC.

They were retrieved from the third chamber of the underwater cave by the specialist divers from Finland after a two-hour operation, Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a Maldivian government spokesperson told the BBC.

The two bodies were being brought to the capital Male for identification.

They were among five people who died in the accident. Two bodies remain inside.

The first body of an Italian diver, who was a member of the group, was recovered shortly after Thursday's accident near Vaavu atoll. He has been named by Italian media as boat operations manager and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti.

Then on Saturday a Maldivian rescue diver died during a search for the bodies.

The four missing divers were eventually found by Finnish divers on Monday in the chamber of the cave furthest from the entrance. Known locally as shark cave, it is up to 60m (197 ft) deep.

The mission to recover the remaining two bodies will resume on Wednesday, with a Maldivian official expressing hope they would be retrieved the same day.

Locating the bodies is crucial to understanding the cause of the accident, as the recovery operation has been challenging due to the cave's depth and restricted visibility. The cave entrance lies at a depth of 47m.

The Finnish divers worked alongside local police and coastguard, with the specialist team managing to recover the bodies to a depth of 30m before coastguard divers took over.

The weather conditions on the day of the dive were described as rough, with a yellow warning issued for passenger boats and fishermen.

Four of the divers belonged to a team from the University of Genoa, which maintained that it did not authorize any deep-sea dives as part of their scientific research mandate.

The dive team was led by Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor at the University of Genoa, accompanied by her daughter Giorgia Sommacal and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri.

There has been criticism from family members regarding the university's claims that the dive was unauthorized, with family questioning how the dive could occur without institutional knowledge, given Montefalcone's prominent role in the study of local marine ecosystems.