International cave divers have arrived in the Maldives to help search for the remains of four Italian tourists who died while scuba diving in an underwater cave off Vaavu Atoll last week, authorities said.
Maldivian officials confirmed that specialist cave divers from Europe, including a three-member Finnish team, are now assisting local military and police units in planning and carrying out new recovery dives inside the cave system.
The international experts are working with the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) to map the narrow passages and assess the risks after earlier attempts were hampered by poor visibility, strong currents, and the depth of the site, which extends to about 50 to 60 meters, according to CNN.
Officials say the goal is to locate and recover the four remaining bodies so they can be repatriated to Italy.
The operation follows a fatal accident in which five Italians disappeared on Thursday while diving near an underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll, south of the capital Malé.
Authorities recovered the body of diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti near the entrance of the cave, while the other four divers are believed to be trapped deeper inside the same system. Italian and Maldivian officials have described the incident as one of the worst diving tragedies in the island nation in recent years.
The victims have been identified as ecology professor Monica Montefalcone of the University of Genoa, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, marine biologist Federico Gualtieri, researcher Muriel Oddenino, and instructor Benedetti.
Italian authorities said the group had been part of a larger scientific and recreational expedition based on the liveaboard vessel "Duke of York," and around 20 other Italians on the boat are safe and receiving consular support, the Washington Post reported.
Italy's Foreign Ministry has been coordinating with the specialist organization Divers Alert Network to support the search, recovery, and repatriation efforts.
Recovery operations have been repeatedly interrupted by rough seas and the extreme conditions inside the cave. A Maldivian military diver died earlier in the week after suffering decompression sickness while trying to reach the trapped Italians, prompting a temporary suspension of dives and a review of safety procedures.
Authorities say investigators are still examining how the dive was organized, why the group descended beyond the usual recreational depth limits, and whether factors such as gas mix or possible oxygen toxicity contributed to the tragedy, as per the BBC.
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