Bodies of Missing Italian Divers Found in Maldives Sea Cave

Italy’s Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that search teams located the bodies of four Italian divers. These divers were found deep inside an underwater cave in a Maldives atoll.

The search efforts resumed on Monday after a pause. The suspension followed the tragic death of a local military diver. This diver lost his life during a dangerous mission to reach the missing individuals.

Five Italian divers were thought to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of approximately 50 meters, or 160 feet, in Vaavu Atoll last Thursday. According to the Italian Foreign Ministry, this depth far exceeds the Maldives’ recreational diving limit of 30 meters, or 98 feet. Previously, the body of one Italian diver, a diving instructor, was discovered outside the cave.

To assist in the recovery efforts, three Finnish divers arrived on Sunday. These experts in deep and cave diving were tasked with creating a new plan to search for the other missing divers, believed to be trapped within the cave system.

The joint effort on Monday included the Finnish divers, Maldives police, and military. Together, they found the four bodies, according to Ahmed Shaam, a government spokesman for the Maldives. It remains uncertain whether the bodies were detected by sight underwater or through the use of drone cameras.

Ahmed Shaam reported that the next step is to develop a strategy to recover the bodies and bring them to the surface.

Earlier, Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef stated that the search was initially suspended following the death of Mohamed Mahudhee. Mahudhee was part of the Maldivian National Defense Force and succumbed to decompression sickness after being hospitalized on Saturday.

Rescue operations faced repeated disruptions due to harsh weather conditions. Initial search teams had managed to dive and mark the entrance of the cave where the divers disappeared. The cause of the divers’ deaths is still under investigation.