The body of Italian diver Gianluca Benedetti, the first victim recovered following the deadly Vaavu Atoll cave diving incident, is being repatriated to Italy tonight on Turkish Airlines flight TK 735, which is now boarding at Velana International Airport.
Benedetti was among five Italian tourists involved in the tragic cave diving expedition on May 14. His body was recovered earlier near the entrance of the underwater cave system, while the bodies of the remaining four divers were located today inside the third chamber of the cave during a recovery mission led by foreign cave diving experts.
According to information confirmed to The Standard, Benedetti’s remains are scheduled to depart the Maldives at 10:20 p.m. local time aboard Turkish Airlines flight TK 735, transiting through Istanbul before continuing to Milan.
Today’s recovery efforts marked a major breakthrough in the multinational operation after Finnish cave diving specialists Sami Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund, and Patrik Grönqvist conducted an orientation dive inside the cave network. Authorities confirmed that all four missing divers were identified deep within the third section of the cave system.
The operation remains highly challenging due to the depth, narrow passages, and hazardous underwater conditions inside the cave. Maldivian authorities, alongside international recovery experts, are now assessing the next phase of the mission to safely retrieve the remaining bodies from the site.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu had earlier stated that locating the missing divers remained the government’s highest priority, while condolences continue to pour in from both the Maldives and Italy following the tragedy.
