The bodies of two of the divers who died in a cave in the Maldives’ Vaavu atoll have been recovered.
Early reports confirmed that one male and one female diver had been brought to the surface. Italy’s leading business journal, Il Sole 24 Ore, reports that the bodies are those of University of Genoa Professor Monica Montefalcone and research fellow Federico Gualtieri.
‘One of the bodies is Federico’s, the other is the teacher Montefalcone,’ Antonello Riccio, a legal representative of Gualtieri’s parents, told the Italian press agency, ANSA.
‘We were contacted by the [Italian] embassy to give us the news. Federico Gualtieri’s family, although absolutely devastated, wish to express their gratitude for the work of both the local authorities and [DAN Europe’s] team of experts.
‘We also thank the Italian embassy, which has always been very cooperative.
Mohamed Hussain Shareef, spokesman for the Maldivian government, confirmed that the two bodies were found in the deepest third chamber of the cave, at a depth of approximately 60m, by Finnish specialist team Sami Paakkarinen, Patrik Grönqvist and Jenni Westerlund.
The bodies have been transported to a mortuary in the Maldives capital Malé. It is expected they will be returned to Italy within the next few days, where autopsies will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
‘We know that it will take a few days for the authorisations to return to Italy,’ said Riccio. ‘If it took three or four days for [Gianluca Benedetti, who was found on the same day the incident occurred], I imagine it will take the same time for the others.
‘It seems that an autopsy will not be performed there in the Maldives, we have to see if they will do it here’.
The 50m dive permit
There has been a great deal of misinformed speculation in the media and Internet dive forums about how this tragedy unfolded, and why the divers had broken the standard 30m depth limit for recreational diving in the Maldives.
In the last two days, however, several media outlets, including Il Sole 24 Oro and the BBC, have reported that Professor Montefalcone and her team had a permit to dive to 50m for the purposes of scientific research.
Professor Montefalcone has been reported as one of the foremost experts on Maldives coral as part of her research at the University of Genoa.
The reason behind the necessity for the permit (a particular species of coral, perhaps) has not yet been disclosed, but a reporter from Corriere Della Sera – one of Italy’s most notable newspapers – interviewed Mohamed Hussain Shareef about the document.
According to the Corriere interview with Mr Shareef, only three of the five divers – Montefalcone and researchers Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri are named in the permit, which was issued in February and valid from 3 to 17 May for depths between 0 and 50m.
Montefalcone’s daughter, Giorgia Sommacal and their Italian guide, Gianluca Benedetti, are not.
‘The University of Genoa team has been conducting annual research in the Maldives for at least four years,’ said Shareef in the interview.
‘They had submitted a specific research proposal on soft corals and the composition of the Maldives’ reef systems to the Department of Marine Research, which gave the green light. They had the necessary permits.’
When questioned over the application for the permit and the legality of the 30m limit, Shareef said: ‘The 30-meter limit applies to recreational diving.
‘Researchers can propose diving deeper, and there’s no second specific law in the Maldives that prevents it. The main problem is that it was a cave dive, and their research proposal, as far as I know, didn’t mention it.
‘They specified the atolls, but not the specific dive sites.’
While the existence of the permit does not explain the reason for the divers’ disappearance, nor even that they entered the cave deliberately, it does lend some credence to the possibility that they had planned to descend to that depth with a purpose.
The entrance to the caves in which their bodies have since been found, is at a depth of 47m.
‘We’re still investigating how deep they went,’ said Shareef. ‘The cave entrance is 47 meters. In all of this, I can tell you that it was a very hard blow for us too.
‘We have a special bond with Italy, and the professor was a very special person because she dedicated so many years of her professional life to research in this country.’
The remaining two divers are expected to be recovered tomorrow (Wednesday).
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