The mystery surrounding the deaths of five Italian divers in the Maldives has taken a major step toward resolution after forensic experts established that all five died from anoxia, the complete absence of oxygen.
The victims died on May 14 while exploring an underwater cave near the Vaavu Atoll, in one of the most serious diving tragedies involving Italian nationals in recent years.
According to Rai News, experts appointed by prosecutors concluded that the five divers remained underwater beyond the amount of time their air supplies could sustain them.
The victims were Monica Montefalcone, a professor at the University of Genoa, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, researcher Muriel Oddenino, Federico Gualtieri and diving guide Gianluca Benedetti.
The findings are important because several theories had emerged immediately after the tragedy.
Investigators had considered whether contaminated breathing gas, oxygen toxicity, equipment problems or another underwater emergency could have incapacitated the divers.
The forensic examination found no toxicological abnormalities that would explain their deaths, according to Corriere della Sera. Experts also found no injuries suggesting a shark attack or another violent underwater incident.
One possibility investigators are examining is that the group became disoriented inside the cave.
The divers were found at a depth of around 60 meters in a demanding underwater cave system. Recovery divers previously described conditions where disturbed sand and coral sediment could dramatically reduce visibility.
The new findings do not close the investigation.
Italian prosecutors are still examining the divers' equipment, tanks, underwater computers and GoPro cameras in an effort to reconstruct their final movements and determine why the group remained inside the cave until their air was exhausted.
Investigators also want to establish whether the equipment was appropriate for such a demanding dive, whether the breathing mixture was correct and how the decision to enter the cave was made.
The case has returned to the center of public attention in Italy following publication of the forensic conclusions.
Google Trends showed more than 20,000 searches related to scuba diving within hours on Sunday, with the topic remaining active as Italians searched for new details about what happened beneath the waters of the Maldives.
For the families, the forensic report answers one crucial question about how the five divers died. The larger question of why they were unable to escape the cave remains under investigation.
