Five Italian Citizens Die While Diving in a Sea Cave in the Maldives

Following an accident during a diving trip, five Italian citizens died in the Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, the Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, as reported by news.com.au on Saturday (16/5/2026).

“The divers are believed to have died while trying to explore a cave at a depth of 50 meters,” it added.

Monica Montefalcone (55), a marine biologist and associate professor at the University of Genoa, and her daughter (20), Giorgia Sommacal, have been identified as two of the victims in the incident. The other victims have been identified as Gianluca Benedetti, Federico Gualtieri, a recent graduate of the University of Genoa, and Muriel Oddenino, a research assistant at the university.

The Italian Foreign Ministry said the Italian embassy in Sri Lanka is providing consular assistance to the families of the victims.

Meanwhile, The Sun reported that the divers are believed to have boarded the Duke of York, a liveaboard dive boat, on Thursday (14/5) morning local time. They were then reported missing by the crew of the dive boat at around 13:45, triggering a large-scale search involving aircraft and speedboats.

“One body has been found among the five divers who were diving in the Vaavu Atoll,” the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said in a statement.

“The body was found inside a cave. It is believed that the other four divers are also inside the same cave, which extends to a depth of about 60 meters,” it added.

The cause of death of the divers has not yet been revealed. Police said the weather was very bad.

The University of Genoa expressed its condolences through a statement on social media.

“The University of Genoa expresses its deepest condolences for the sudden and tragic death of Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, Muriel Oddenino, and Federico Gualtieri,” it wrote in a translated post on X.