&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Italy confirms bodies of 4 missing divers found deep inside Maldives sea cave after recovery operation")
Italy’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday (May 18) that rescuers had located the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be trapped deep inside an underwater cave in the Maldives’ Vaavu Atoll, days after the group went missing during a hazardous dive expedition. According to the ministry, five Italian divers are believed to have died while exploring a cave system at a depth of around 50 metres on Thursday. The depth exceeded the Maldives’ recreational diving limit of 30 metres.
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The body of one Italian diver, identified as a diving instructor, had earlier been recovered outside the cave. Search operations resumed on Monday after being temporarily suspended following the death of a Maldivian military diver involved in the rescue effort. Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defence Force, died from underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital on Saturday.
Shareef said three Finnish divers, described as experts in deep and cave diving, arrived in the Maldives on Sunday to assist authorities in devising a new search strategy. The divers joined members of the Maldives Coast Guard in meetings aimed at mapping the cave system and planning further recovery operations.
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Rescue efforts have been repeatedly disrupted by rough weather conditions, officials said. Initial search teams had already descended to identify and mark the entrance to the underwater cave where the Italian divers disappeared. Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact cause of death, and investigations are ongoing.
