The search for the bodies of the four Italians still trapped in the cave they dived into on Thursday morning, at a depth of sixty meters, has resumed off the Maldivian island of Alimatha. Yesterday, bad weather forced the search to be halted by University of Genoa professor Monica Montefalcone (who had been spending her holidays at the San Vero Milis marina for years), her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, researcher Muriel Oddenino, and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri, a 31-year-old from Omegna.
Strong winds and a yellow weather alert have interrupted the operations involving specialized divers, boats, and air support, monitoring the sea from above. The Maldives National Defense Force has described it as a "high-risk" operation. It is believed that the four Italians are in the same cave where the body of boat captain and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti from Padua was recovered.
Yesterday morning, the Coast Guard descended again, reaching the first two chambers of the cave—where the victims have not been identified—but not the third. Meanwhile, Dan Europe, a medical and safety foundation based in Abruzzo , has announced its willingness to send a team of top experts. Among them are some of the rescuers who worked to save the 12 children trapped in the cave in Thailand. "We will do everything possible to recover the bodies of our fellow citizens," assured Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, expressing his hope that "the bodies can be returned to Italy as soon as possible."
The causes of the tragedy, which involved people familiar with the seabed, remain unclear. Maldivian police are interviewing those aboard the safari boat "Duke of York" and collecting data on the diving equipment used. The Rome Public Prosecutor's Office is also investigating the deaths of the five Italians. The magistrates at Piazzale Clodio, in light of the documents arriving from the diplomatic mission, will assess the circumstances of the case and, if necessary, delegate the matter to law enforcement. A problem with the oxygen mixture in the tank, sudden thermals, or a loss of orientation in a ravine may have prevented the victims from ascending. However, for now, these are merely hypotheses floated by experts pending the outcome of the investigation and autopsy.
"At that depth, any problem becomes unmanageable," explains Roberto Fragasso, who has lived in the Maldives for over 30 years, where he runs the Sinai Dive Club. "All it takes is for one participant to have a moment of panic to drag the others down," he adds, noting that "there's a strict limit of 30 meters of descent."
Carlo Sommacal, Monica Montefalcone's husband and Giorgia's father, doesn't believe it was reckless. "The only certainty I have is that my wife is among the best divers on earth. And that she has always been conscientious," he assured in an interview with Repubblica. "She would never have put the lives of our daughter or other children at risk." These words are consistent with those who were aboard the "Duke of York" with the five victims . "The weather at the time of the dive was fine, the sea was undisturbed, and the visibility was excellent," one of them explained. Twenty other compatriots were on the vessel, mostly students and colleagues of Montefalcone. Among them is Stefano Vanin, associate professor of Zoology, who, among other things, handled the cases of Elisa Claps and Giulia Cecchettin.
"The dive was supposed to last less than an hour," a witness explained. "They dived at 11:00 a.m., and when we didn't see them resurface around 12:00 p.m., we began searching for them with the boat and raised the alarm." Relatives and friends of the victims are deeply distressed . The tour operator Albatros Top Boat expressed its "sincere condolences," emphasizing that the "company is fully collaborating with the Maldivian authorities and the Italian diplomatic representatives responsible for the ongoing investigation, making available every useful resource to help clarify the causes and circumstances" of the tragedy.
(Unioneonline)