A major underwater search operation in the Maldives ended in tragedy after authorities confirmed that the bodies of four missing Italian divers had been found inside a deep underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll. The discovery came days after the group disappeared during a scuba diving mission near one of the Maldives’ popular coral island regions. Officials said one more Italian diver had already been found earlier, while a Maldivian rescue diver also lost his life during the difficult recovery mission. The incident is now being described as one of the worst single diving accidents ever recorded in the Maldives, a country globally known for tourism, coral reefs and diving activities. Investigators are still trying to determine exactly what went wrong during the expedition.
Rescue teams in Maldives locate missing divers nearly 60 metres deep inside dangerous cave system
According to local authorities, the four Italian nationals were found by a joint rescue team of highly trained Finnish and Maldivian divers. Officials said the bodies were located inside a cave nearly 60 metres deep in Vaavu Atoll, around 100 kilometres south of the capital city, Male. Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a spokesperson for the Maldivian government, confirmed the recovery effort and said to the BBC, “Further dives [are] to be carried out in the coming days to recover the bodies.”
As per reports, Italy’s foreign ministry also confirmed the discovery and said the divers were found in the cave’s third section, which was the furthest area from the entrance. Authorities added that extra dives would still be required to safely recover all the bodies from the cave system. The body of another Italian victim had already been located near the entrance of the same cave shortly after the incident happened on Thursday.
Scientists and diving experts were part of research mission studying coral reefs near Vaavu Atoll
Reports say that four of the Italian victims were part of a University of Genoa research team. They were identified as Professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, and researchers Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri. The fifth victim was diving instructor and boat operations manager Gianluca Benedetti.
Officials said the group entered the waters of the Maldives on Thursday morning for a research mission connected to coral studies. However, concern grew after they failed to return to the surface later in the day. Authorities also confirmed that the group had received official permission for their coral research project, including approval for deep diving activities. However, government officials later clarified that there had been no mention of entering the underwater cave in their original proposal.
As per BBC, Shareef earlier told them that recreational scuba divers in the Maldives are generally only allowed to dive up to 30 metres deep. Officials are now questioning why the team entered a cave that was almost twice that depth.
Rough weather conditions and death of rescue diver add to shock surrounding Maldives tragedy
As per reports, the police said weather conditions in the Maldives region were rough on the day the divers disappeared. A yellow warning had already been issued for fishermen and passenger boats in the area because of unsafe sea conditions. The rescue operation itself also turned deadly after Maldivian rescue diver Staff Sgt Mohamed Mahdhee died while searching for the missing group on Saturday.
A government spokesperson told the BBC that Mahdhee was part of a team of eight rescue divers involved in the operation. “Eight rescue divers went into the water today. When they surfaced, they realised Mr Mahdhee didn’t come up,” Shareef previously said.
Officials said the other divers immediately returned underwater and later found Mahdhee unconscious. An investigation into the full cause of the accident in the Maldives is now ongoing.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
