A seasoned military diver died at the entrance of a cave in the Maldives; the autopsy results were shocking, revealing the cause of death was not oxygen poisoning, but rather…👇👇

A six-person Italian deep-sea scuba diving team vanished during an underwater cave dive in the Maldives when they failed to resurface after descending to about 164 feet (50 metres) during an exploration dive near a popular dive spot in Vaavu Atoll.

Only one body has been recovered so far but authorities say a search and recovery operation continues against a backdrop of seas with waves reaching 3 metres, and the incident is being called one of the worst accidents to occur during dive training in Maldives’ history.

Who are the five Italian divers who drowned in the dive accident in the Maldives?

The victims were identified by the Maldivian government as:

All five divers were part of a group dive team that departed from a yacht called Duke of York before descending into the underwater cave system.

What were their backgrounds and what is their link to marine science?

Four of the five divers were linked to the field of marine science either academically or professionally.

Professor Monica Montefalcone was a marine biology instructor at the University of Genoa and specialised in tropical marine ecology and underwater science. She was also involved in projects conducting environmental monitoring in island regions, including the Maldives.

Her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, took a different academic route to her mother but both were linked through their interest in the ocean. She had reportedly studied biomedical engineering at the same university.

Muriel Oddenino, 31, was a marine biologist who had worked as an ecologist and dived extensively, and had published reports on scientific research projects.

Federico Gualtieri also 31, had completed his courses in marine biology and ecology recently. He was qualified as a scuba diving instructor.

Gianluca Benedetti was 44 at the time of his death. He had worked in banking and finance before moving to the Maldives in 2017. He had become a boat operations manager on a robust network for the expedition, which was part of the crew of expedition support.

What happened to make the cave dive become a tragedy?

According to reports, the divers went down into a cave near Vaavu Atoll, a commonly visited but notoriously difficult dive location. They had descended around 164 feet, a depth where pressure changes, low visibility and complicated underwater routes can create serious problems.

Officials suspect that the divers may have been trapped in the underwater cave system. The cause of death is still under investigation.

Search started soon after the divers did not return. Rescue operation teams sent dozens of divers down, in pairs, to explore deeper areas of the cave system. They were forced to pull out due to worsening weather conditions. Teams were still able to create a basic map of the undersea topography to help guide future recovery that was expected to resume on Saturday.

Authorities have opened an investigation into the tragedy. The dive plan, conditions and safety measures are being scrutinised. Proceeding with the recovery operation, the incident has highlighted the dangers of deep cave diving in remote oceanic locations.