The death toll in the Maldives scuba diving tragedy has increased after authorities reported the death of a Maldivian diver who was searching for the bodies of five Italian tourists who died in an underwater lake earlier this week. According to The Sun, which translated the Maldivian military’s X post, Sergeant Major Mohamed Mahudhee fell ill during the third day of recovery operations in Vavu Atoll.The military reportedly said: “His courage, sacrifice and service to his country will always be remembered. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and colleagues.”Mahudhee was one of eight divers sent to search for the bodies of Monica Montefalcone, a professor of marine biology at the University of Genoa, and her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal, who disappeared while diving into a 160-foot-deep underwear cave.Turin’s Muriel Ordenino, Padua’s Gianluca Benedetti and Borgomanero’s Federico Gualtieri also failed to resurface from fatal dives.Only Benedetti’s body has been recovered, officials said.The divers’ deaths are still under investigation, but some experts believe oxygen poisoning and sheer panic may have been factors in the deaths of the five scuba divers.
“Something must have happened… My wife is one of the best divers”
Montefalcone’s husband, Carlo Somacar, suspected “something must have happened” in the cave and said his wife, a professor at the University of Genoa, was an experienced diver and would not take any chances. “The only thing I know for sure is that my wife is one of the best divers on the planet. And she has always been serious. She would never endanger the life of our daughter or anyone else,” he told La Repubblica on Friday.“Something must have happened there,” the retired scientist said. “Maybe someone was in trouble, maybe it was an oxygen tank, I don’t know. But I’m ready to swear by Monica’s actions,” he added.
Oxygen poisoning behind death?
Although the cause of death has not yet been determined, experts suspect that oxygen toxicity occurs when too much oxygen becomes dangerous. Humans are born to breathe air with an oxygen content of approximately 21%. But when a person breathes abnormally high concentrations of oxygen or breathes at high pressure for too long, it can become toxic to the body, according to UMass Memorial Health.This happens because excess oxygen creates an excess of unstable molecules called “free radicals.” Normally, the body can neutralize them with antioxidants. But when too much builds up too quickly, they can begin to damage cells and tissues.
