Bodies of four missing Italian divers located in Maldives sea cave

The bodies of four missing Italian scuba divers who died last week have been found, Maldives government said Monday, following a fraught mission to locate their remains in a network of sea caves.

Five Italians died while exploring the Vaavu Atoll caves on Thursday, prompting a multinational effort to find and retrieve their remains.

One body was discovered that same day at the entrance to the maze-like underwater caves. International cave divers teamed up with Maldivian experts to try to locate the remains of the other four dead.

The operation resumed Monday following a temporary suspension after a military diver lost his life.

Three Finnish divers from the Divers Alert Network (DAN), a global scuba safety group, joined a fourth expert and the local coastguard to develop a new strategy on Sunday. Specialist equipment is being provided by the United Kingdom and Australia, according to Mohamed Hussain Shareef, the chief spokesperson for Maldives government.

Shareef said there would be further dives carried out “in the coming days” to attempt to recover the bodies.

Diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti’s body was found at the mouth of the cave, leading authorities to believe the other four Italians remain inside, Shareef said.

They are Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; and researcher Muriel Oddenino.

A sixth diver decided not to enter the water when the rest of the group dove in, authorities confirmed.

The group were on a scuba diving expedition aboard the Duke of York vessel, according to Italy’s foreign ministry.

The Red Crescent offered to provide psychological First Aid to an overall 20 Italians who remained onboard and no injuries were immediately reported, the ministry added.

The attempt to retrieve the four missing bodies claimed another life, underscoring the peril and complexity of the recovery effort.

Senior military diver Sgt. Mohamed Mahudhee, 43, died on Saturday during a second recovery mission into the cave, which at its deepest point is 70 meters (230 feet) below the surface (about as deep as a 20-story building is tall), and 200 meters long.

“He was one of the most senior divers, which shows just how challenging this dive is,” Shareef said.

Maldivian divers reentered the water on Monday –– joined by DAN cave divers –– for a safety assessment of the cave.