Bodies of missing Italian divers found in Maldives
Four missing Italian divers were found dead in a deep Maldives cave after a tragic scuba accident
ATT Desk Report
Officials in the Maldives have confirmed that the bodies of four Italian divers who were missing after a scuba diving incident last week have been discovered.
According to the BBC, the divers were found inside a cave about 60 metres (197 feet) deep in Vaavu Atoll by a joint team of Finnish and Maldivian rescue divers.
Another member of the Italian diving group had already been found dead soon after the accident on Thursday. A Maldivian rescue diver also lost his life on Saturday during the search operation.
Authorities believe this may be the deadliest single diving accident ever recorded in the Maldives, a country famous for its coral islands and tourism industry.
Government spokesperson Mohamed Hossain Shareef told the BBC that additional dives would take place over the next few days to recover the bodies. He said two bodies were expected to be retrieved on Tuesday, with the remaining two to follow the next day.
Italy’s foreign ministry stated that the four victims were located in the deepest section of the cave, farthest from the entrance, making the recovery mission more difficult and requiring further dives.
