Oxygen toxicity and sheer panic are among the potential factors that could have led to the deaths of five Italian tourists who vanished on a daring scuba dive in the Maldives , experts say.

Pulmonologist Claudio Micheletto told the Italian outlet Adnkronos Thursday that “it’s likely that something went wrong with the tanks,” as all five divers died on the same 160-foot excursion in the waters of Vaavu Atoll, which sparked a police investigation.

“Death from oxygen toxicity, or hyperoxia, is one of the most dramatic deaths that can occur during a dive – a horrible end,” Micheletto, the director of pulmonology at the University Hospital of Verona, added.

Muriel Oddenino was one of the victims of the scuba tragedy.

Muriel Oddenino / Facebook

Scuba divers generally breathe compressed air – which is composed of 21 percent oxygen and 79 percent nitrogen – from a tank, but sometimes may turn to nitrox, which features a higher concentration of oxygen.…