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In the aftermath of the tragedy on the seabed of the Maldivian island of Alimathà, the bodies of four Italians are still trapped in the cave at a depth of sixty meters in which they immersed themselves yesterday morning. Bad weather stopped the research of Genoa University professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, researcher Muriel Oddenino and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri, 31 years old from Omegna. Strong winds and a yellow weather warning interrupted the activities in which specialized divers, boats and air support were engaged to monitor the stretch of sea from above.
A high-risk operation in the cave at sixty meters
A “high risk” operation, the Maldives National Defense Force defined it. In fact, it is believed that the four compatriots are in the same cave where the body of the Paduan boatmaster and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti was recovered. In the morning the coast guard went back down to the depths, reaching the first two rooms of the cave – where the victims were not identified – but not the third. “Tomorrow they will try to dive again – claims the Italian ambassador in Colombo, Damiano Francovigh – also in light of the weather conditions which were terrible today”.
Dan Europe ready to send cave experts to Thailand
Meanwhile, Dan Europe, a medical and safety foundation based in Abruzzo, is available to send a team of top experts. Among them are some of the rescuers who worked to save the 12 children stranded in the cave in Thailand. “We will do everything possible to recover the bodies of our fellow citizens” assured the deputy prime minister and foreign minister Antonio Tajani, hoping that “the bodies can return to Italy as soon as possible”.
Investigations in Italy and the Maldives into the causes of the tragedy
The causes of the tragedy which involved people who knew those seabeds well remain to be clarified. Maldivian police are listening to people on board the ‘Duke of York’ safari boat and collecting data on the equipment used for diving. And the Rome Prosecutor’s Office is also investigating the death of the five Italians. The magistrates of Piazzale Clodio, in light of the documents that will arrive from the diplomatic headquarters, will evaluate the case for which to proceed and possibly entrust delegations to the police.
The hypotheses: oxygen mixture, currents or panic
What prevented the victims from ascending was a problem with the oxygen mixture in the tank as well as sudden upward currents or loss of orientation in a ravine. But for now these are only hypotheses launched by experts awaiting the results of the investigations and autopsy findings. «At that depth every problem becomes difficult to manage» explains Roberto Fragasso, who has lived in the Maldives for over 30 years where he manages the “Sinai Dive Club”. “It is enough for one of the participants to have had a moment of panic to drag the others along” he adds, recalling that “the categorical limit of 30 meters of descent is imposed”.
Monica Montefalcone’s husband: «He would never have put our daughter at risk»
Carlo Sommacal, husband of Monica Montefalcone and father of Giorgia, does not believe in imprudence. «The only certainty I have is that my wife is among the best divers on the face of the earth. And that she has always been conscientious – she assured in an interview with Repubblica – She would never have jeopardized the lives of our daughter or other children”. Words in line with those who were on board the ‘Duke of York’ together with the five victims. «The weather at the time of the dive was beautiful, the sea was not disturbed and the visibility was excellent» explains one of them.
Also on board was Professor Vanin, an expert on the Claps and Cecchettin cases
On the boat there are twenty other compatriots, mostly students and colleagues from Montefalcone. Among them also Stefano Vanin, associate professor of Zoology, who dealt, among other things, with the Elisa Claps and Giulia Cecchettin cases. “The dive should have lasted less than an hour – explains a witness – They dived at 11am and when we didn’t see them resurface around 12pm we started looking for them with the boat and raised the alarm.”
The condolences of the tour operator Albatros Top Boat
Pain and dismay among relatives and friends of the victims. The tour operator Albatros Top Boat expressed its “sincere condolences”, underlining that the “company is collaborating fully with the Maldivian authorities and with the Italian diplomatic representatives, competent in the ongoing investigations, making every useful resource available to help shed light on the causes and dynamics” of the tragedy.