That bunch of flowers placed in front of the door of the study of Monica Montefalcone , the professor at the University of Genoa, also very well known in Sardinia and died in the Maldives during a dive with her daughter and two other researchers, speaks of her students' grief. Their teacher is unforgettable, and will never be forgotten. With her manner and her science, she inspired so many students to study the marine ecology she loved so much. In the end, she was taken away, along with her daughter Giorgia, research fellow Muriel Oddenino, recent graduate Federico Gualtieri, and dive guide Gianluca Benedetti.
THE SEARCH – Meanwhile, today, following the tragedy of the diver dying of illness , the arrival of the team of experts is awaited to resume the search for the bodies : the priority is " to find them, and we must do it quickly. Unfortunately, in warm waters, even if we don't know exactly what fauna is in the cave, we cannot rule out the risk of predators like sharks or environmental impacts . During past recoveries, in Egypt for example, the worst happened. So every hour that passes is crucial," says Laura Marroni, vice president and CEO of the private foundation Dan Europe, a network specializing in underwater recovery and rescue operations, which yesterday left for Malé with a team, with the aim of recovering the bodies of the missing Italians. "We have offered," Marroni explained, "our decades of experience and selected the best and most experienced divers immediately available: the Finnish team ." The experts, she adds, can reach depths of "over 150 meters. We are talking about people among the most competent in the world for these operations."
THE RISKS – Among the risks is "the poor visibility, made so by the rising sediment . There's also the problem of the corridor connecting the first cave to the second, which seems rather narrow, two and a half to three meters." Furthermore, on site, "there's little technical equipment to use. We even had trouble finding helium. There's little there: the Maldives aren't known for deep diving or cave diving, so there's a lack of training or organization for this type of recovery."
SOCIAL MEDIA OUTBREAK – Many are expressing their grief over the tragic image on social media. Following the Tavolara Marine Protected Area's message for Monica Montefalcone, the International School for Scientific Diving (ISSD), where Montefalcone was a director, expressed condolences: "Our silence thus far is one of disbelief, despair, and grief following news we never expected to hear." And grief also comes from former classmates at the Mazzini High School in Genoa, where Giorgia Sommacal attended before enrolling at university: "Goodbye Giorgia, unforgettable and brilliant student at our high school. Rest in peace with your mother."
The Anton Dohrn Zoological Station also paid tribute to Monica Montefalcone: "Anyone who met her will remember her smile: genuine, welcoming, always present, in the workshops, during activities at sea, at conferences, and in everyday life," the post reads. "Her example will live on in her work, her values, and in the people she shaped and inspired."
THE RETURN OF THE ITALIANS – Meanwhile, the 20 Italians who were aboard the Duke of York with the five divers missing after the dive off the island of Alimatha have returned from Malè. They arrived at Malpensa this evening, after a stopover in Dubai. They were smuggled out privately, away from photographers and journalists who were waiting to speak with them.
(Unioneonline)
