Five tourists die in Maldives during 160ft dive – including mum and daughter
Five Italian nationals have died while scuba diving in the Maldives’ Vaavu Atoll, Italy’s foreign ministry said on Thursday
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University professor Monica Montefalcone has been named as one of the victims(Image: artefici della trasformazione digitale/YouTube)
Five Italian nationals have died while scuba diving in the Maldives, sparking an investigation by local police.
The victims have been named by Italian media as university professor Monica Montefalcone and her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal. Muriel Oddenino from Turin was also killed in the tragedy along with Gianluca Benedetti from Padua, and Federico Gualtieri from Borgomanero, according to local reports.
The incident occurred in Vaavu Atoll, where the group had been attempting to explore underwater caves at a depth of around 165ft, Italy’s foreign ministry said on Thursday. It did not give any details about the exact cause of the incident.
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Giorgia Sommacal(Image: Instagram/Giorgia Sommacal)
Rescue crews raced to the area at around 1.45pm local time after the group vanished.
According to Maldivian outlet The Edition, the group were tourists and had been aboard the Duke of York liveaboard diving vessel.
The outlet reports that the group went missing during a dive near Alimathaa. They had entered the water in the morning and were reported missing by crew after failing to resurface.
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Muriel Oddenino(Image: Facebook/Muriel Oddenino)
Local police have launched a probe into the incident, with the causes of death yet to be confirmed.
A yellow weather warning had been issued in Vaavu Atoll earlier in the day and still remains in place as strong winds lashed the islands at up to 30mph.
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Gianluca Benedetti(Image: Il Mattino)
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Weather conditions at the dive site were reportedly poor at the time of the incident.
The ministry said an investigation had been launched by Maldivian authorities. It added that the Italian Embassy in Sri Lanka is in contact with the victims’ families to provide consular assistance.
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