Underwater tragedy in Maldives leaves families searching for answers after cave deaths

After five Italian divers died while exploring a deep underwater cave off the Maldives, families of the victims are demanding answers.

Monica Montefalcone, 52, an associate ecology professor at the University of Genoa, and her daughter, Giorgia, 20, were among the dead, according to The Associated Press (AP).

"Something must have happened," he said in a different interview with an Italian television station, according to AP.

Monica Montefalcone, one of five Italian scuba divers who died near Alimathaa in the Maldives archipelago while exploring an underwater cave, is shown in this undated photo released by Greenpeace Italia on May 15, 2026. (Greenpeace Italia/AP)

The victims included marine researchers and experienced divers. Among them: Monica Montefalcone, an ecology professor at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government.

Gianluca Benedetti was found dead near the cave entrance shortly after the group disappeared. 

Authorities believe the bodies of the four remaining divers are trapped deep inside a cave system about 160 feet underwater near Vaavu Atoll.

The cause of the deaths remains under investigation.

Vaavu Atoll is a chain of islands in the central Maldives, located southwest of Sri Lanka and India.

Authorities were alerted after the divers failed to surface by midday Thursday, when weather conditions were rough, per AP.

A diving crew prepares to search for four missing Italian divers near Alimathaa Island, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, May 15, 2026. (Maldives President's Media Division/AP)

Italy's Foreign Ministry said the group "apparently died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 meters (164 feet)," the AP reported.

Maldivian presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef told reporters the cave was exceptionally dangerous.

"The cave is so deep that divers even with the best equipment do not try to approach," he said.

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Local officials described the tragedy as the Maldives' worst single diving accident.

An Italian pulmonologist told local outlet Adnkronos that the incident "suggests a problem with the tanks."

Officials in the Maldives said the effort to reach the four missing Italian divers was suspended after the death of Mahdi. (Maldives National Defense Force)

Five divers dying during the same dive event suggests "not so much a depth problem, but rather [an issue with] what they breathed," Claudio Micheletto, director of pulmonology at the University Hospital of Verona, told Adnkronos.

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"It is likely that something did not work in the tanks," Micheletto told the local outlet. 

"The people using them could not have noticed: Checks are the responsibility of those who produce and manage the equipment."

"Italy has a very proud and much beloved diving culture ... Very sorry for the family."

Alfonso Bolognini, president of the Italian Society of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, said there are several possible explanations, including "an inadequate breathing mixture that can create a hyperoxic crisis," according to Adnkronos.

Bolognini also suggested panic may have contributed to the deadly dive, according to Italian newswires.

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"Inside a cave at 50 meters deep, all it takes is a problem for one operator or a panic attack for one diver," he said.

"In these cases, the panic component could lead to even fatal mistakes."

Mohamed Mahdi, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, died from decompression sickness during the dangerous mission, officials said. (Maldives National Defense Force)

A perilous search for the bodies of the divers was halted Saturday after a military diver died during the mission.

The Italian Foreign Ministry said the cave system consists of three large chambers connected by narrow passages. Rescue teams explored two chambers Friday but were forced to stop because of decompression risks.

Officials are now awaiting the arrival of three Finnish cave-diving specialists to reassess the operation.

Stephen Sorace of Fox News Digital, as well as The Associated Press, contributed reporting.