According to Italian outlet liberoquotidiano.it, a sixth diver had initially planned to enter the underwater cave system alongside the group. However, the unnamed woman — believed to be a student at the University of Genoa — reportedly decided to remain aboard the Duke of York yacht instead of diving.
She has now been described as the “only direct survivor of that day” and is considered a key witness as investigators attempt to reconstruct exactly what happened beneath the surface.
Among those who lost their lives were respected University of Genoa marine biology professor Monica Montefalcone and her 20-year-old daughter, Giorgia Sommacal.
The remaining victims were identified as Muriel Oddenino, Gianluca Benedetti, and Federico Gualtieri.
Reports suggest the group descended roughly 160 feet into an underwater cave near Alimatha island. Authorities have confirmed that approximately two dozen non-crew members were onboard the Duke of York during the excursion.
At this stage, investigators are still working to determine the exact cause of the tragedy. However, experts have already raised several possible explanations, including oxygen toxicity and panic inside the cave system.
Pulmonologist Claudio Micheletto told Italian news agency Adnkronos that a problem with the diving tanks may have triggered the disaster.
“It’s likely that something went wrong with the tanks,” he explained.
He added that hyperoxia — also known as oxygen toxicity — can be one of the most terrifying ways a diver can die.
“Death from oxygen toxicity, or hyperoxia, is one of the most dramatic deaths that can occur during a dive — a horrible end,” Micheletto said.
Meanwhile, Alfonso Bolognini, president of the Italian Society of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, suggested that panic may also have played a role in the fatal chain of events.
“Inside a cave at a depth of 50 meters, all it takes is a problem for a diver or a panic attack for a diver,” Bolognini explained.
The unnamed student who remained on the yacht has not publicly commented on why she chose not to dive that day. But investigators reportedly believe her testimony may provide important insight into the final hours before the accident occurred.
The tragedy has left families, colleagues, and the diving community in mourning, while many continue searching for answers about what exactly happened inside the underwater cave.
Rest in peace to all those who lost their lives in this heartbreaking disaster.