Final Two Italian Divers’ Bodies Recovered From Maldives Cave After Five Died

Five Italian scuba divers died after going missing during a cave dive in the Maldives, and local officials said the final two bodies were recovered from inside the cave.

BBC reported that government spokesman Mohamed Hossain Shareef said the remaining two bodies would be flown to the capital Malé for repatriation to Italy, after Italy’s foreign ministry confirmed the bodies had been brought to the surface.

ABC News

Anatolu Ajansı said the recovery mission ended after the final recoveries were completed on Wednesday, with support from the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) Coast Guard, Maldives Police Service, and Finnish technical divers deployed with assistance from the Italian government.

CNN described the dive as taking place off Vaavu Atoll, about an hour south by speedboat of the capital Malé, with the divers plunging toward pitch-black caverns and never returning.

CNN also said the divers were staying on board a luxury 36-meter yacht called the Duke of York, and that around 1:30 p.m. Thursday someone aboard the boat put out a distress signal, Mohamed Hussain Shareef said.

The BBC said the divers were among five Italians who died at an underwater cave on Thursday, and it reported that the weather at the time was described as rough with a yellow warning issued for passenger boats and fishermen.

BBC also quoted a University of Genoa spokesperson saying the requests submitted to the Maldivian authorities were made outside the scope of the mission authorised by the university, and that the dive was carried out "in a personal capacity".

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CNN said the group had permission to dive deeper than the 30 meters Maldivian recreational dive limits allow, while also quoting Mohamed Hussain Shareef saying, "We are very sure that we would have been able to give them much clearer guidelines and advice had they told us that this was such a demanding assignment at such depths inside a cave."

CNN reported that the Maldives Meteorological Service issued a white alert mid-morning Thursday warning of strong winds and rough seas, and that by mid-afternoon the warning level was raised to yellow with strong winds of up to 30 miles per hour with gusts of 50 miles per hour.

CNN added that the Maldives’ Marine Research Center had approved a research proposal from Montefalcone, Gualtieri and Oddenino to study soft corals near the Vaavu Atoll, while Sommacal and Benedetti were not listed on the application.

Italy’s prosecutors launched a culpable homicide investigation into the deaths of five Italian scuba divers in a cave near Alimathaa Island in Vaavu atoll, Maldives, as the final two bodies were recovered.

“The victims were part of a group of five Italian tourists who were reported missing around 1:45 p”

Agenzia Nova

DIVE Magazine said the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered autopsies to be conducted as soon as the divers’ remains were returned to Italy, and it reported that action camera footage would be analysed and other divers on board the liveaboard Duke of York would be interviewed.

DIVE Magazine also said investigations by Italian media found the group had a permit to dive to 50 metres, 20m deeper than the default recreational limit of 30m mandated by Maldivian law.

BBC described the cave as known locally as "shark cave" and said it is up to 60m deep, while also noting that the entrance lies at a depth of 47m and the various chambers are at varying depths.

CNN framed the incident as a major blow to a popular tourist destination, saying the Maldives is a popular tourist destination because of its coral islands and that the search claimed a sixth victim, local military diver Sgt. Mohamed Mahudhee.