European Divers Resume Search for Four Bodies in Maldives Cave

A team of European divers arrived in the Maldives capital of Male on Sunday to recover the bodies of four Italian tourists who died in an underwater cave incident at Vaavu Atoll. The group was assembled and dispatched by Divers Alert Network Europe. It includes three divers from Finland who have experience recovering people from deep caves.

The team plans to resume the search Monday for the four bodies still inside the cave network at a depth of 200 feet. Only the body of the group's diving instructor has been recovered so far. A Maldivian military rescue diver, Sgt. Major Mohamed Mahudhee, died during an earlier search attempt. Recent bad weather and limited technical equipment in the Maldives have delayed the current mission.

"We'll bring [the victims' bodies] back.

We can't leave them at the mercy of the sharks. We need experts here," DAN Europe CEO Laura Marroni told Italian newspaper La Stampa. Marroni said the team has experience diving to depths of nearly 500 feet and selected the Finnish divers for their specialized skills.

She noted that warm waters raise the possibility of sharks or other environmental factors affecting the remains. "During past recoveries, the worst happened. So every hour that passes is crucial," Marroni said. All but one of the victims were from the University of Genoa in northern Italy.

One member of the original group survived after choosing not to enter the water.