In the Maldives the search for the bodies of Italian divers, trapped in the Alimathà caves, continues, but with great difficulty, because underwater caves are environments that present many problematic elements, starting from poor visibility and the possible loss of orientation. So far only one body has been recovered, that of Gianluca Benedetti. The other four Italians are still found among the ravines of the caves.
And to the tragedy of the five divers another tragedy was added: that of Mohamed Mahdi, a diver from the Maldivian Armed Forces who, during a dive to try to reach and recover the bodies in the trap at a depth of over sixty metres, fell ill and died, after being rescued and rushed to hospital, probably due to decompression sickness causing gas bubbles to form (usually nitrogen) in the blood and tissues. A drama that confirms the great complexity and high degree of risk of search operations.
The announcement on
(HANDLE)
A team of expert Finnish divers has arrived in the Maldives. Meanwhile, the operating license of the “Duke of York” has been suspended, the safari boat where the five victims were also present. On the investigation front, local authorities have started checks to understand why the group dived beyond the permitted limit of 30 meters for diving in the Maldives. The dynamics of the accident still remain shrouded in mystery and there are many hypotheses, including that of the possible wrong mixture in the cylinders.
The Alimathà caves, in the Vaavu atoll, reachable in an hour by speedboat from the capital Malè, represent an underwater paradise, one of the most loved places by divers from all over the world, a natural treasure populated by sharks, which go to sleep there, turtles and corals. The caves are three cavities connected to each other, between tunnels and ravines. The entrance to the first cave is 50 meters deep. Crossing it, you arrive at the second cave and then, descending to a depth of 60 meters, you enter the third cave. A fascinating, spectacular, but also dangerous environment: to be able to reach and admire it requires great experience. That experience was not lacking for the five Italian divers, and in particular for Monica Montefalcone, a well-known marine biologist and coral scholar.
