'Shark Cave' Horror: Bodies of Missing Tourists Recovered After Deadly Diving Disaster in Maldives
The bodies of four missing Italian divers were found inside the Maldives' notorious 'shark cave.'
May 18 2026, Updated 11:34 a.m. ET
The bodies of four missing Italian divers have been recovered from a notorious underwater cave in the Maldives, days after the group vanished during a deep-sea expedition, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Authorities confirmed the divers were discovered inside the Thinwana Kandu cave — known locally as "shark cave" — following an intense international recovery mission.
Elite Rescue Team Makes Grim Discovery
An elite team of Finnish rescue divers located the group days after they vanished underwater.
Italy's Foreign Ministry said an elite team of Finnish divers located the bodies of Monica Montefalcone, 52, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, 20, Muriel Oddenino, 31, and Federico Gualtieri, 31, on May 18 after the group disappeared four days earlier while exploring the underwater cave system, per The New York Post.
The highly specialized rescue squad, Sami Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund and Patrik Grönqvist, was assembled within 48 hours by Divers Alert Network Europe and flown to the Maldives to assist local authorities in the desperate search effort.
Diving Instructor's Body Recovered Earlier
Giorgia Sommacal and her mom were two of the divers found.
The body of diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, 44, was recovered on May 15, days before the remaining divers were found deep inside the cave network.
Officials have not yet determined what caused the deaths of the five divers, and authorities said investigations into the tragedy remain ongoing.
'Shark Cave' Search Required Specialized Equipment
Muriel Oddenino was also one of the people found in the 'shark caves.'
Local rescue crews reportedly struggled to reach the dangerous depths required to enter the cave system, which extends nearly 500 feet underwater.
The Finnish divers were called in after authorities determined that additional technical expertise and specialized equipment were needed to safely access the area where the group disappeared.
The rescue experts previously participated in the high-profile 2018 operation to save a trapped Thai soccer team from a flooded cave system.
Authorities said the operation to bring the bodies back to the surface is expected to continue over the coming days due to the extreme underwater conditions inside the cave.
Brazilian Influencer Died After Vanishing During Ironman Swim
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Influencer Mara Flávia died during a Texas Ironman in April.
In April, a Brazilian influencer and endurance athlete also died after disappearing beneath the water during the opening swim of a Texas Ironman competition.
Mara Flávia, 38, vanished during the swimming portion of Ironman Texas in Lake Woodlands, triggering a frantic emergency search as the grueling race continued around her.
The social media personality — who had more than 61,000 Instagram followers — reportedly went missing shortly after athletes entered the water early that morning.
Rescue crews were alerted to a missing swimmer and launched a desperate search operation despite difficult underwater conditions and near-zero visibility. Flávia was eventually recovered from the lake hours later after rescuers located her body roughly 10 feet below the surface. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
