In the crystal clear waters of Maldives A tragedy has occurred that touches every Italian deep in the heart. Thursday 14 May five of our compatriots tragically lost their lives during a scuba dive.
Departed on board the ship “Duck of York”they went toVaavu Atoll to immerse yourself and explore a cave in the depths of the Indian Ocean, about 60 metersbut when something went wrong. The causes that led to this tragedy, the largest ever to occur in the seas of the Maldives, are still to be ascertained and there are various hypotheses in this regard. Among these, the most accredited speaks of a problem in the oxygen mixture inside the tanks of the 5 divers.
What is certain is that all five shared one very strong passion for the Oceana passion that in some cases was also a job. Gianluca Benedettiafter years of working in finance, had made this love of diving his full-time occupation. Monica Montefalcone (52 years old), professor of marine ecology at the Department of Earth, Environmental and Life SciencesUniversity of Genoaan enthusiastic and dedicated scientist, worked for the protection of the sea.
Her very young daughter was also with her Giorgia Sommacal22 years old, biomedical engineering student in Genoa. Accompanying the teacher and her daughter was also a former student of Monica Montefalcone, Federico Gualtieri. 30 years old, originally from the province of Novara, he had just graduated with a thesis on the Maldives. The group ends with Muriel Oddeninowho graduated from the University of Turin, then continued her education in Genoa, where she met Professor Montefalcone.
