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Five Italians dead in the Maldives: who were the divers involved in the accident at 50 metres depth

Among the victims were researchers and diving instructors involved in marine projects, who died during a dive unrelated to their scientific work. Gianluca Benedetti's body found

by Enrico Bronzo

14 May 2026aggiornato il 22 maggio 2026, ore 16:50

Nella combo, da sinistra Monica Montefalcone, Federico Gualtieri, Giorgia Sommacal, Gianluca Benedetti e Muriel Oddenino. (Ansa)

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Following a diving accident on 14 May, five compatriots died in the Vaavu atoll in the Maldives.

The divers died while exploring some caves at a depth of 45-50 metres.

The five were on board the Duke of York, an underwater cruise boat. They dived in the morning and were reported missing by the crew when they had not surfaced by noon.

The five Italians were: 1) Monica Montefalcone from Milan; 2) Gianluca Benedetti from Padua, whose body has already been found; 3) Muriel Oddenino from Piedmont; 4) Federico Gualtieri from Piedmont; 5) Monica Montefalcone's daughter, Giorgia Sommacal;

1) Monica Montefalcone (52) from Milan, an associate professor in Ecology at the University of Genoa, was also a well-known face on TV, a researcher and scholar of the marine environment. The lecturer was known for her great love of the sea and for being responsible for several important marine projects such as Talassa, GhostNet and MER 'A16-A18'.

Montefalcone was in the Maldives as coordinator of a research project together with other colleagues including research assistant at the Distav of the University of Genoa Muriel Oddenino.

The underwater excursion where they found death was not related to the project.

2) Gianluca Benedetti (44) was a diving instructor and boat manager. On the website of the tour operator for which he worked, it is explained that Gianluca, originally from Padua, after a long experience in the world of banking and finance, decided to explore new avenues and transform diving, a long-standing passion and work commitment already carried out for many years part-time in Italia, into a full-time activity.

A first contact with the Maldives took place in 2017, which turned into a stay of about seven years, except for a brief Indonesian interlude.

He is described as 'an energetic and extremely sporty person, a lover of reading, classic cinema and chess';

3) Muriel Oddenino (31), originally from Poirino (Turin), was co-author of scientific research focused on the conservation of marine ecosystems. Among her latest publications, one was on 'Temporal dynamics of Posidonia oceanica meadows in the Capo Mortola Marine Conservation Area (Imperia)';

4) Federico Gualtieri (30), was originally from Omegna (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola). He had dedicated hisdissertation to the "Diversity and Ecology of Corallimorphari and Zoanthari in the Central Atolls of the Maldives", graduating last March from the University of Genoa in Marine Biology and Ecology.

Several photos on his social profiles dedicated to the atolls of the Maldives. "First and foremost, I would like to thank Professor Montefalcone," she wrote in her thesis acknowledgements, "for having offered me her help, her experience and for having always placed great trust in me and in this work. Ever since I met her, she has always been my guide, encouraging me to follow my dreams and passions, even if the road ahead would have been long or difficult'.

Before arriving in Genoa, Gualtieri had taken a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Eastern Piedmont in Vercelli.

The 31-year-old also worked as a certified Padi diving instructor, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.

5) Giorgia Sommacal (20), from Genoa, daughter of Monica Montefalcone.

The ship left for a week-long cruise

The 36-metre-long Duke of York had set sail for a one-week cruise on 10 May 2026 from the port of the Maldives capital, Malè.

The ship belongs to theLuxury Yacht Maldives, a company with a fleet of six ships, including Maldives ('Conte Max', 'Dhoni Stella', 'Ocean Sapphire', as well as the 'Duke of York') and Egypt ('Heaven Saphir' and 'Tala').