Four Italian divers found dead in Maldives underwater cave

The bodies of four Italian divers who failed to surface after entering a deep underwater cave in the Maldives were located Monday inside a cavern in Vaavu Atoll, the Maldivian National Defence Force said, in what officials are calling the deadliest diving disaster on record in the island nation.

The accident killed five people in three days — including a rescue diver who died Saturday — and stands as the worst diving catastrophe ever recorded in the Maldives, a destination that draws thousands of scuba enthusiasts each year and is raising renewed questions about safety protocols for technical cave dives.

A group of five Italian divers entered the underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday. Four never returned to the surface. One body was recovered on the day of the accident, according to AFP.

"The bodies of four missing divers have been located inside the Vaavu Atoll cave, on a joint search and recovery operation," the Maldivian National Defence Force said in a statement, as reported by the Korea Times. The MNDF added that further dives would be "carried out in the coming days to recover the bodies."

A rescue diver also died Saturday while searching for the missing Italians, bringing the total death toll to five. An unnamed government official told AFP that bringing the remains to the surface would "take some time," citing difficult conditions inside the cave.

The scale of the tragedy makes it the deadliest diving accident on record in the Maldives, a premier destination for underwater enthusiasts known for its clear waters, coral reefs, and dramatic submarine terrain. Vaavu Atoll in particular is sought out by experienced divers for its deep underwater formations.

Authorities have not released the identities of the victims or described the sequence of events that led the group into difficulty. Recovery operations were continuing as of Monday.

Italian authorities have been notified of the deaths. No timeline for returning the victims' remains to their families had been announced as of Monday.