Italy: Bodies of four Italian divers transferred to Milan after Maldives tragedy.

SHOTLIST GALLARATE, ITALY (MAY 23, 2026) 1. FUNERAL HEARSES PARKED OUTSIDE THE GALLARATE HOSPITAL MORGUE 2. VARIOUS OF COFFINS BEING CARRIED FROM VEHICLES INTO MORGUE GALLARATE, ITALY - MAY 23: The bodies of four Italian divers who died in a cave diving accident in the Maldives were transferred to Milan Malpensa Airport on Saturday, May 23, taken to a hospital morgue for autopsies. The remains of the four divers - Monica Montefalcone, Giorgia Sommacal, Muriel Oddenino, and Federico Gualtieri- were flown from Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight, landing at Milan Malpensa Airport. The body of the fifth diver, Gianluca Benedetti) was recovered and repatriated earlier in the week. The victims' bodies are currently housed at the Gallarate Hospital morgue (the medical reference facility for Malpensa), where local authorities have initiated autopsies and forensic examinations as part of a culpable homicide investigation. The divers went missing on May 14 while exploring a cave about 60 meters (197 feet) underwater in the Vaavu Atoll region of the Maldives. Italian authorities said the body of the first diver was recovered shortly after the incident, while the remaining bodies were located during a multi-day operation carried out by Finnish and Maldivian rescue divers. The victims were part of a scuba diving expedition aboard the Duke of York vessel, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry. Officials described the incident as one of the worst diving accidents recorded in the Maldives, a popular destination for scuba tourism.