2026年5月15日 / 美国东部时间上午7:11 / 哥伦比亚广播公司/法新社
意大利外交部周四表示，五名意大利人在马尔代夫一起水肺潜水事故中身亡，这座印度洋群岛的安全部队已找回一具遗体。
这片珊瑚岛群是深受潜水爱好者欢迎的奢华度假胜地，游客通常会入住偏远度假村或住在远洋潜水船上。
罗马外交部在一份声明中表示：“在一次水肺潜水旅行期间发生事故后，五名意大利公民在马尔代夫的瓦武环礁遇难。”
“据信，这些潜水员在尝试探索50米深度的洞穴时身亡。”
热那亚大学表示，遇难者包括一名海洋生物学教授、她的女儿以及两名年轻研究人员。该校确认他们是莫妮卡·蒙特法尔科内、乔治亚·索马卡尔、穆里尔·奥登蒂诺和费德里科·瓜尔蒂耶里。
他们在首都马累以南的瓦武环礁进行深层洞穴潜水之旅后未能返回。
外交部周五表示，搭乘“约克公爵号”船舶参与此次潜水远征的另外20名意大利人安全无恙。
当地官员表示，这是这个由1192座微小珊瑚岛散布在赤道附近印度洋上、跨度约500英里的国家有史以来最严重的单一潜水事故。
马尔代夫国防军（MNDF）在一份声明中表示，在这支五人团队周四下午被报失踪后，当局已出动飞机和快艇开展大规模搜寻行动。声明称：“在瓦武环礁潜水的五名潜水员中，已发现一具遗体。”
该部队还公布了搜寻区域地图。
“遗体是在一处洞穴内发现的。据信，其余四名潜水员也在同一处洞穴中，该洞穴深度约达60米（200英尺）。”
马尔代夫国防军表示，在这支五人团队周四下午被报失踪后，当局已出动飞机和快艇开展大规模搜寻行动。马尔代夫国防军
警方表示，瓦武环礁周四天气恶劣，对客船和渔民发布了黄色预警。
马尔代夫国防军表示，一艘海岸警卫队船只已在该区域彻夜协调搜救行动。另有海岸警卫队潜水员正被派往协助搜救。
意大利外交部表示，一名意大利专家已于周五协助海岸警卫队和马尔代夫船只开展搜救行动。外交部称，相关人员计划下潜评估进入瓦武环礁一处水下洞穴的通道，但恶劣天气可能会推迟打捞工作。
外交部补充道，负责马尔代夫相关外交事务的意大利驻科伦坡大使已前往首都马累，与海岸警卫队官员会面。意大利大使馆也已与遇难者家属取得联系并提供协助。
尽管近年来已报告多起致命事故，但在这个南亚国家，潜水及水上运动相关事故相对较为罕见。
去年12月，一名英国女游客在潜水时身亡，她71岁的悲痛丈夫几天后因病去世。
今年6月，一名26岁的日本游客在首都附近的潜水探险后失踪。
当地媒体报道称，过去六年来，该群岛至少有112名游客在海洋相关事故中丧生，其中42人死于潜水或浮潜事故。
美联社为本报道撰稿。
5 Italian tourists killed in Maldives cave diving accident as authorities search water for bodies
May 15, 2026 / 7:11 AM EDT / CBS/AFP
Five Italians have died in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives, Italy’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, with security forces in the Indian Ocean archipelago recovering one body.
The string of coral islands is a luxury holiday destination popular with divers, who often stay at remote resorts or on liveaboard dive boats.
“Following an accident that occurred during a scuba diving trip, five Italian nationals have died in Vaavu Atoll, in the Maldives,” Rome’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The divers are believed to have died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 meters.”
The University of Genoa said the victims included a marine biology professor, her daughter and two young researchers. The school identified them as Monica Montefalcone, Giorgia Sommacal , Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri.
They failed to return from a deep cave-diving trip in Vaavu Atoll, south of the capital, Male.
The foreign ministry said Friday that 20 other Italians aboard the “Duke of York” ship who participated in the diving expedition are safe.
Local officials said it was the worst single diving accident in the nation of 1,192 tiny coral islands scattered some 500 miles across the equator in the Indian Ocean.
Aircraft and speedboats were deployed for a major search after the group of five was reported missing on Thursday afternoon, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said in a statement. “One body has been found among five divers who went diving in Vaavu Atoll,” the statement said.
The force also released a map of the search area.
“The body was found inside a cave. It is believed that the remaining four divers are also inside the same cave, which extends to a depth of about 60 meters (200 feet).”
Aircraft and speedboats were deployed for a major search after the group of five was reported missing on Thursday afternoon, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said. Maldives National Defence Force
Police said the weather was rough in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday and there was a yellow warning for passenger boats and fishermen.
The MNDF said a coastguard vessel was in the area coordinating the search operation throughout the night. Additional coastguard divers were being sent to assist in the search.
The Italian foreign ministry said an Italian expert was assisting the coast guard and Maldivian vessels in the search operation on Friday. It said officials planned a dive to evaluate access to an underwater cave in the Vaavu Atoll, but rough weather conditions could delay the recovery.
The ministry added that Italy’s ambassador to Colombo, which oversees relations with the Maldives, has traveled to the capital Malé to meet with coast guard officials. The Italian Embassy was also in contact with the victims’ families and providing assistance.
Diving and water-sport-related accidents appear to be relatively rare in the South Asian nation, although several fatal incidents have been reported in recent years.
A British woman tourist died while diving in December, and her distraught 71-year-old husband died a few days later after falling ill.
A 26-year-old Japanese tourist went missing after a diving expedition near the capital in June.
Local media reports said at least 112 tourists had died in marine-related incidents in the archipelago in the past six years, with 42 of them falling victim to diving or snorkeling accidents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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