Missing Italian Tourists
Bodies Found in Maldives Horror
Published
The search for four missing Italian tourists in the Maldives has come to a devastating end … because rescue divers have recovered their bodies from a notorious underwater cave following the country’s deadliest diving disaster ever.
Officials say an elite team of Finnish rescue divers located the bodies Monday deep inside the “Shark Cave” — nearly 500 feet below the surface — days after the group vanished during an exploration dive.
The victims were identified as 52-year-old Monica Montefalcone; her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal; Muriel Oddenino, 31; and Federico Gualtieri, 31. The body of dive instructor Gianluca Benedetti, 44, had already been recovered Friday.
Authorities say the cause of death for all five divers remains unclear.
The recovery operation was reportedly so dangerous local crews couldn’t reach the depth required to enter the cave system … prompting an international team of rescue divers to assemble within 48 hours. The Finnish divers arrived in the Maldives over the weekend to assist in the grim search effort.
Tragically, the disaster claimed another life Saturday … when Maldivian search diver Sgt. Major Mohamed Mahudhee died while trying to locate the missing tourists, bringing the total death toll to six.
Officials say around 20 other Italian tourists had been aboard the Duke of York yacht before the doomed excursion began Thursday … but they’ve since returned home to Italy after the tragic incident.