Maldives Suspends Search For 4 Italians In Underwater Cave After Military Diver Dies

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Maldivian authorities on Saturday suspended the search for the bodies of four Italian divers Believed to be deep within an underwater caveafter a military diver died during a dangerous mission trying to reach them.

The group of five Italian divers are believed to have died Thursday while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 meters (160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll, according to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 meters (98 feet).

Maldivian presidential spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef said the search was suspended after Maldivian National Defense Force member Mohamed Mahudhee died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital.

Authorities said they expected the arrival Sunday of three Finnish divers who specialize in deep diving and cave diving to rethink their search strategy.

Mahudhee will be buried with military honors on Saturday night at a funeral ceremony attended by President Mohamed Muzzu. The diver was part of the group that briefed Muizzu on the rescue plan when he visited the search area on Friday.

“The death demonstrates the difficulty of the mission,” Shareef said.

Severe weather conditions repeatedly hampered rescue efforts.

Search operations on Saturday involved eight local divers working in shifts to find the missing Italians, Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The first teams had already dived to locate and mark the entrance to the cave system where the Italians disappeared. The cause of the deaths is under investigation.

Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani He said everything possible would be done to bring the victims home. He expressed his condolences for the death of the Maldivian diver during the rescue efforts.

The victims were identified as Monica Montefalcone, a professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; daughter Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; Diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government.

Benedetti’s body was found Thursday. His body was found near the mouth of the cave, and authorities believed the remaining four had entered the cave.

The University of Genoa said on Friday that Montefalcone and Oddenino were in the Maldives on an official scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study the effects of climate change on tropical biodiversity. However, it was stated that the scuba diving activity in which the fatal accident occurred was not part of the planned research and was “conducted privately”.

The statement also stated that the other two victims (student Sommacal and recent graduate Gualtieri) were not involved in the scientific mission.

Carlo Sommacal, Montefalcone’s husband and Giorgia’s father, expressed doubts about the accident, saying “something must have happened down there” given his wife and daughter’s extensive experience.

Speaking to Italian television, he described Montefalcone as a careful and highly disciplined diver who would never put his daughter or other colleagues at risk.

A lawyer for the Italian tour operator who managed the diving trip in the Maldives denied authorizing or knowing about the deep diving, which violated local limits, a lawyer told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on Saturday.

Orietta Stella, representing Albatros Top Boat, said the operator “did not know” the group planned to descend beyond 30 metres. That threshold requires special permission from Maldivian maritime authorities, he said, and the tour operator “will never allow that.”

Stella added that the dive went well beyond what was planned for a scientific expedition focused on coral sampling at standard depths. He said the victims were experienced divers, but the equipment used appeared to be standard recreational equipment rather than technical equipment suitable for deep cave diving.

He also explained that Albatros only markets cruises and neither owns the ship nor employs locally hired crew.

cave diving It is a highly technical and dangerous activity that requires special training, equipment and strict safety protocols. In environments where divers cannot go steep and deep, risks increase rapidly, especially when conditions are poor. Experts say it’s easy to get lost or disoriented inside caves, especially since sediment clouds can sharply reduce visibility.

Diving at 50 meters also exceeds the maximum depth recommended for recreational divers by most established scuba diving certification bodies; Depths beyond 40 meters (131 feet) are considered technical diving and require special training and equipment.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the cave was divided into three large chambers connected by narrow passages. Rescuers searched two of the three rooms on Friday, but the search was limited due to oxygen and decompression considerations.

Italian officials said that approximately 20 Italians on the Duke of York ship on the same voyage were also safe. Italy’s embassy in Colombo was providing assistance to those on board and had contacted authorities. Red Crescentoffered to enlist volunteers to help provide psychological assistance.

Maldives Ministry of Tourism announced that it has suspended the business license of the “Duke of York” until the investigation is completed.