Five tourists who drowned during a cave dive in the Maldives were just minutes away from the surface when disaster struck, according to reports. The Italian nationals were identified as Monica Montefalcone, 52, a marine biologist from the University of Genoa, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, 20, researcher Muriel Oddenino, 31, recent graduate Federico Gualtieri, 31, and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti.
The group were believed to be approximately 15 minutes from the surface when they disappeared and were subsequently found dead without proper equipment, according to the New York Post. Maldivian rescue diver Staff Sgt Mohamed Mahdhee also tragically lost his life while searching for the bodies.
Human Error and Lack of Equipment
Maldivian presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Sharee revealed that the cave is so deep that even with the best equipment, divers do not attempt to reach it. "Tragic human error" was cited as a key factor in the May 14 catastrophe, which saw the group perish 200 feet below the surface, according to Finnish diver Sami Paakkarinen, one of three divers who assisted in retrieving the bodies.
"Unfortunately, in most cave diving accidents, the main cause is always human error," he told the Sun. He further noted that the group lacked essential cave-diving equipment, including a diving reel or a guided rope. Four of the bodies were recovered together, Paakkarinen confirmed.
Possible Oxygen Toxicity and Panic
Experts suspect that the fatalities may have also been connected to oxygen toxicity and panic. Pulmonologist Claudio Micheletto told Italian publication Adnkronos that it is probable "something went wrong with the tanks." Micheletto, who serves as the director of pulmonology at the University Hospital of Verona, added: "Death from oxygen toxicity, or hyperoxia, is one of the most dramatic deaths that can occur during a dive - a horrible end."
Scuba divers breathe compressed air consisting of 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen from a tank. To minimise the risk of decompression sickness, a higher-oxygen alternative called nitrox is commonly used, but diving too deep with the mixture may trigger oxygen toxicity. "When you breathe in too high a concentration of oxygen, the gas becomes toxic to the body," Micheletto said. "During the dive, dizziness, pain, altered consciousness and disorientation occur, making it impossible to surface."
Alfonso Bolognini, president of the Italian Society of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, said: "Inside a cave at a depth of 50 meters, all it takes is a problem for a diver or a panic attack for a diver. The agitation will cause the water to become cloudy and can impair visibility, which can lead to fatal errors. It's not easy to say now what exactly may have happened at the bottom of the sea."
