Final two bodies of Italian cave diving expedition recovered in Maldives after deadly underwater tragedy
The final two bodies from a group of Italian divers killed during a research expedition in the Maldives were recovered from underwater caves on Wednesday, nearly a week after the fatal incident.
The remains of Genoa University student Giorgia Sommacal, 22, and research fellow Muriel Oddenino, 31, were located deep inside a cave at more than 200 feet and retrieved by an international specialist dive rescue team. Their recovery followed earlier operations that brought up two other members of the group on Tuesday.
The retrieval effort relied on a coordinated system involving elite Finnish divers from the Divers Alert Network, who descended into the cave using rebreathers that extend dive time by recycling exhaled air and removing carbon dioxide. The Finnish divers brought the bodies up to shallower depths before handing them off to Maldivian coast guard teams, repeating a staged ascent process used throughout the operation.
Earlier in the week, recovery teams also located the bodies of Genoa University ecology professor Monica Montefalcone, 52, who was Sommacal’s mother, and researcher Federico Gualtieri, 31. Another member of the expedition, dive boat manager and instructor Gianluca Benedetti, was found shortly after the accident, bringing the total number of deaths to six.
With all known victims recovered, attention has shifted to what caused the tragedy inside the cave system known locally as “shark cave.” Investigators are examining whether conditions inside the narrow underwater passages created a powerful current effect that may have trapped the divers and prevented their exit. One theory suggests a sudden pressure change at the cave entrance could have drawn the group inward, making it difficult to escape.
Questions have also been raised about the equipment used during the dive, including standard scuba cylinders filled with compressed air and recreational-grade gear that may not have been suited for deep cave conditions. Some experts note that deeper technical dives typically rely on specialized gas mixtures to reduce risks such as oxygen toxicity and nitrogen narcosis.
Authorities have recovered dive computers and cameras from the group, and the data is expected to be analyzed as part of ongoing investigations in the Maldives and Italy. Prosecutors in Rome have opened a manslaughter inquiry and are preparing autopsies once the bodies are repatriated.
Further recovery and mapping efforts were planned to continue in the area to retrieve remaining equipment and gather additional evidence that could help explain how the expedition ended in disaster.
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