{"id":219,"date":"2026-05-23T12:08:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T12:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=219"},"modified":"2026-05-23T12:08:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T12:08:13","slug":"dead-maldives-divers-were-just-minutes-away-from-reaching-surface-as-tragic-new-details-emerge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=219","title":{"rendered":"Dead Maldives divers were just minutes away from reaching surface as tragic new details emerge"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The five Italian divers who drowned in the Maldives were not wearing proper scuba equipment for the journey \u2013 and were just 15 minutes from the surface when they died.<\/p>\n

Read more Bodies of four remaining Italian scuba divers repatriated from the Maldives<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cTragic human error\u201d was a key factor in the May 14 horror, in which the group died 200 feet below the surface, Finnish diver Sami Paakkarinen told the Sun.<\/p>\n

Four of the bodies were found together, Paakkarinen added.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, in most cave diving accidents, the main cause is always human error,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The victims did not have proper cave diving equipment, including a diving reel or guide rope, according to the rescuer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe equipment we found them with wasn\u2019t optimal, they weren\u2019t using underwater caving gear,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

Read more Chris Taylor, former Dodgers All-Star, retires at 35<\/a><\/p>\n

In general, for those who visit caves, it\u2019s known that it\u2019s not very wise to do so without a safety line,\u201d Paakarinen said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The bodies of Monica Montefalcone, 52, a\u00a0marine biologist from the University of Genoa; her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, 20; researcher Muriel Oddenino, 31; and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri, 31, were found Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The group\u00a0vanished May 14, during a deep-water dive inside a cave 164 feet underwater\u00a0in Vaavu Atoll in what officials called the worst diving accident in the island nation\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

The body of diving instructor\u00a0Gianluca Benedetti was found the\u00a0day of the drowning, and\u00a0was brought back to Italy Tuesday. The remains of the other victims\u00a0were repatriated early Saturday.<\/p>\n

Read more Fox News gives explanation for \u2018Maskgate\u2019 interview with admiral who appeared to be wearing prosthetic<\/a><\/p>\n

This is a developing story. Please check back for more updates.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The five Italian divers who drowned in the Maldives were not wearing proper scuba equipment for the journey \u2013 and were just 15 minutes from the surface when they died.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\nDead Maldives divers were just minutes away from reaching surface as tragic new details emerge - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=219\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dead Maldives divers were just minutes away from reaching surface as tragic new details emerge - 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