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A tragic scuba diving accident in the Maldives claimed the lives of five Italian tourists.
On Friday, May 15, the foreign ministry in Rome confirmed the shocking news, noting, "The divers are believed to have died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 metres (164 ft)."
The incident took place in Vaavu Atoll, and among the dead, four were part of a University of Genoa team, including professor of ecology Monica Montefalcone, her daughter and two researchers.
According to the Maldives' military, one body was discovered in a cave about 60 metres underwater, and the other four divers were believed to be there as well.
While describing the search operation as high risk, the authorities said that divers with special equipment had been sent to the area.
The incident is one of the worst single diving accidents in the Maldives, a popular tourist destination.
As per local media, the five Italians entered the waters on Thursday morning, May 14.
They were reported missing by the crew of the diving vessel after they failed to resurface later on.
Police said the weather was rough in the area, about 100 km (62 miles) south of the capital Malé. A yellow warning was issued for passenger boats and fishermen.
The University of Genoa identified the victims as Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, who was also a student, research fellow Muriel Oddenino and marine biology graduate Federico Gualtieri.
The fifth victim has been named as boat operations manager and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti.
