The bodies of four Italian divers have been discovered deep within an underwater cave in a Maldive atoll. Search operations for the group were restarted on Monday after a local military diver died during a risky attempt to reach them.
According to Italy’s Foreign Ministry, five Italian divers perished while exploring a cave approximately 160 feet deep in Vaavu Atoll, exceeding the recreational diving limit of 98 feet in the Maldives. The body of one Italian, identified as a diving instructor, was found outside the cave earlier.
Three Finnish divers, specializing in deep and cave diving, arrived in the Maldives on Sunday to assist in devising a new plan to locate the remaining four bodies believed to be inside the cave system. The Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that the four missing bodies had been located.
The search was halted temporarily following the death of Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, who succumbed to underwater decompression sickness after being taken to a hospital in the capital on Saturday, as mentioned by Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef.
Despite adverse weather conditions impeding rescue efforts, initial teams had already conducted dives to locate and mark the entrance to the cave system where the Italian divers went missing. The cause of the fatalities is currently under investigation.