Military diver dies searching for bodies of four Italians in Maldives underwater cave

The group of five Italian divers are believed to have died on Thursday while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 meters in the Vaavu atoll, according to the Italian Foreign Ministry. The limit for recreational diving in the Maldives is 30 meters.

Maldives presidential spokesman Mohammed Hussain Shareef said Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, died of underwater decompression sickness on Saturday after being taken to a hospital in the capital.

“Death shows the difficulty of the mission,” he said.

Earlier, Shareef said the searchers had drawn up a plan based on their progress in exploring the cave on Friday. Mahudhee was part of the group that briefed Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu about the rescue plan when he visited the search site on Friday.

Severe weather has repeatedly hampered recovery efforts.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said everything possible would be done to bring the victims home. His ministry said it was working with Divers Alert Network, a specialist diving organisation, to support recovery operations and the repatriation of the bodies. The cause of the deaths is still under investigation.

The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government.

Benedetti’s body was recovered on Thursday.

Montefalcone and Oddenino were in the Maldives on an official scientific mission to monitor the marine environment and study the effects of climate change on tropical biodiversity, the University of Genoa said in a statement on Friday. However, the diving activity in which the fatal accident occurred was not part of the planned investigation and was “conducted privately,” the report said.

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

Cave diving is a highly technical and dangerous activity that requires specialized training, equipment and strict safety protocols. The risks increase sharply in environments where divers cannot go straight up and to depth, especially when conditions are poor. Experts say it’s easy to become disoriented or lost in caves, especially because sediment clouds can greatly reduce visibility.

Diving at 50 meters also exceeds the maximum depth recommended by most major established diving certification bodies for recreational divers, with depths above 40 meters considered technical diving and requiring specialist training and equipment.

Shareef said Benedetti’s body was found near the cave entrance and authorities believed the remaining four had entered the cave.

Two Italians, a deep-sea rescue expert and a cave diving expert, are expected to join the recovery efforts, Shareef said.

Italian officials said about 20 other Italians on the same expedition aboard the ship Duke of York were safe. The Italian embassy in Colombo provided assistance to those on board and had contacted the Red Crescent, which offered to deploy volunteers to provide psychological assistance.

The Ministry of Tourism in the Maldives said it has suspended the Duke of York’s operating license pending an investigation.

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

They would explore the third room on Saturday, the ministry added.

Italian officials and the honorary consul are in contact with the victims’ families to provide assistance.