According to international media, a group of five people went missing on May 15 while exploring an underwater cave system in the Vaavu Atoll area (Maldives).

The Sun reported that images of the cave system in the Maldives—where five Italian divers and one rescue worker lost their lives—were shared by an elite rescue unit.

Những hình ảnh đầu tiên về hang động ở Maldives khiến 5 thợ lặn tử vong - Ảnh 1.

These photos were taken by Sami Paakkarinen, one of three Finnish elite divers who recovered four bodies trapped inside the cave system for several days.

The images were posted on the Instagram page of Dan Europe, a diving network that organized the high-risk rescue mission.

On May 23, the bodies of Monica Montefalcone, a marine biology professor; her daughter Giorgia Sommacal; and two young researchers, Federico Gualtieri and Muriel Oddenino, are scheduled to be repatriated.

They had been participating in a luxury sea tour around the vast archipelago and were linked to the University of Genoa.

The body of the fifth Italian victim, captain Gianluca Benedetti, was recovered on the day they went missing.

The first images of the cave in the Maldives that led to the deaths of five divers were also released.

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The photos were taken by Sami Paakkarinen, one of the three Finnish experts. Source: Instagram @daneurope.

Local authorities are investigating why the Italian group was allowed to dive to a depth of around 60 meters—while the maximum recreational diving depth in the Maldives is only about 21 meters.

GoPro cameras belonging to the divers have also been recovered, raising hopes that investigators can reconstruct their final moments.

Initial autopsies are currently being carried out to assist the investigation.

According to recent information, a four-word message written in a scribbled manner helped trigger the search and rescue operation for the Italian divers.

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After finding four bodies trapped in a narrow crevice within the complex cave system, the Finnish team returned to the surface with a single message: “We have found all four.”

Paakkarinen revealed: “The bodies were all located together in one area of the cave.”

Finnish divers believe a “sand wall illusion” may have contributed to the tragedy.

Other common theories suggest the group may have used standard air tanks instead of specialized gas mixtures required for extreme-depth diving.

According to La Repubblica, Monica, her daughter, and the two researchers were found in a nearby dead-end passage.

Captain Benedetti’s body was found near the cave entrance on Vaavu Atoll, before the remaining four bodies were discovered.

Commenting on the location where the four bodies were found, Dan Europe CEO Laura Marroni said the victims were located in a dead-end passage within the cave system, with no possible exit from that position.

According to rescue team descriptions, the cave near Alimatha Island begins with a large chamber filled with natural light and a white sandy floor. At the end of this chamber is a passage about 30 meters long and nearly 3 meters wide, leading into a second chamber where no natural light remains.

A notable feature is a sand mound between the passage and the second chamber. When entering, divers can easily pass over it. However, when turning back, the mound can create the illusion of a solid wall, blocking the view of the original exit. To the left of the mound is another shorter passage that leads to a dead end.

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A man standing on the riverbank was dragged into the water by something terrifying.

“All victims were found in this passage, as if they had mistaken it for the exit,” La Repubblica reported.

Marroni noted that it would be “extremely difficult to return, especially with limited air supply,” if they accidentally took the wrong route.

“At that depth, a standard air tank only allows about 10 minutes of bottom time, sometimes even less. When realizing they are lost and low on air, people panic, breathe faster, and consume oxygen much more quickly,” she said.