Maldives military diver dies as search for 4 Italians in cave continues

A Maldivian military rescue diver died Saturday from decompression sickness sustained during underwater recovery operations, raising the death toll to six after five Italian divers perished Thursday in an underwater cave at Vaavu Atoll, the Maldives government said.

The deaths underscore the hazards of deep cave diving. The Italian group descended to roughly 50 meters — nearly 160 feet — far beyond the Maldives' 30-meter recreational diving limit and the 40-meter threshold that classifies a dive as technical, requiring specialized training.

Mohamed Mahudhee, a diver with the Maldivian National Defense Force, died after being transferred to a hospital following decompression illness he sustained during the search mission, Maldives Presidential Spokesman Mohammed Hussain Shareef said. "The death goes to show the difficulty of the mission," Shareef said.

The five Italian divers entered the cave on Thursday, descending into three large chambers connected by narrow passages at approximately 50 meters depth. The group included Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; student Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Benedetti's body was recovered near the cave entrance Thursday. Recovery efforts for the remaining four bodies continued as of Saturday, hampered repeatedly by rough weather. Search teams also faced constraints imposed by oxygen supply and decompression requirements at those depths, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The University of Genoa said the dive was "undertaken privately" and was not part of any official scientific mission. Authorities suspended the operating license of the vessel "Duke of York" pending an investigation. About 20 other Italians aboard the boat were safe.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu were briefed on the situation. Recovery coordination was conducted from the Maldivian capital and Colombo, Sri Lanka, with support from the Divers Alert Network and the Red Crescent, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Investigators are expected to examine whether the group held appropriate technical diving certifications for the depths reached and how the vessel received permission to operate at the site.