Five Italians Die in Maldives Diving Accident Near Alimathaa

Five Italian tourists died in a Maldives diving accident while exploring underwater caves in Vaavu Atoll near Alimathaa. The group had gone missing on Thursday after a morning dive and failed to surface by midday.

The five were believed to have been in the cave when they disappeared, according to Mohamed Hussain Shareef, the Maldivian presidential spokesperson. The Maldives National Defense Force said the cave extends to about 60 meters and described the recovery effort as high risk, involving specialized divers, vessels and air support.

Italy and Maldives coordinate recovery

The Embassy of Italy in Colombo said it was in contact with the victims’ families to provide consular assistance and was working with DAN on body recovery and repatriation. Italy’s ambassador to Colombo arrived in Malé on Friday to meet with officials and with rescue vessels from the Maldivian Coast Guard, along with police and an Italian expert diver.

The University of Genoa identified four of the victims as Monica Montefalcone, Giorgia Sommacal, Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri. The fifth victim was reported to be Gianluca Benedetti, and the embassy also said it was assisting the other 20 Italians aboard the Duke of York who took part in the expedition.

Vaavu Atoll investigation

Maldivian authorities were investigating the incident on Friday as the search and recovery operation continued near Alimathaa. Shareef said, “The cave is so deep that divers even with the best equipment do not try to approach.”

Weather conditions were described as unfavourable when the group was diving at a depth of 50 metres, and the Maldives National Defense Force said the other four divers were believed to be in the same cave where the first body was recovered. That leaves the families waiting for the recovery operation to reach the remaining victims and for the bodies to be brought home.

At the center of the case is a narrow time window on Thursday, when the divers were reported missing after failing to surface by midday, and the continued use of specialized teams in waters where the cave system reaches deeper than the dive plan. The next step is the Maldivian investigation now underway, alongside the work of Italian consular officials and the recovery teams already deployed in Malé and Vaavu Atoll.