Bodies of Five Italian Divers Recovered in Maldives Cave

The bodies of four Italian scuba divers who died last week have been located in an underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll, the Maldives government said. According to Italy's Foreign Ministry, the divers died while exploring the cave at a depth of about 50 meters on Thursday.

Four of the divers were part of a University of Genoa team that included professor of ecology Monica Montefalcone, her daughter, and two other researchers. The body of one Italian, who was the diving instructor, was found earlier outside the cave. The victims have been identified as Montefalcone; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government.

Searches resumed on Monday after being suspended following the death of a Maldivian diver from decompression sickness. Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defence Force, died after being transferred to a hospital in the capital on Saturday, Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said.

Three Finnish divers arrived to plan a new search strategy with the Maldives coastguard, Shareef said. Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said Italy would do everything possible to bring the bodies home and offered condolences for Mahudhee's death.

The Italian Foreign Ministry stated it was coordinating with Divers Alert Network to support recovery operations and the repatriation of the bodies. Recovery teams explored two of the three chambers in the cave on Friday, but the search was limited due to oxygen and decompression considerations.

The scuba diving activity was not part of the planned research and was undertaken privately, the University of Genoa said in a statement Friday. Student Sommacal and recent graduate Gualtieri were not involved in the scientific mission. The Maldives tourism ministry announced it was suspending the operating license of the vessel Duke of York pending an investigation.

The cause of the deaths remains under investigation.