Rescue diver dies during search for Italian divers in Maldives caves

A rescue diver has died while searching for the bodies of a group of Italians who perished in a scuba-diving accident in the Maldives.

Staff Sgt. Mohamed Mahdhee was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later died of his injuries, a government spokesman told the BBC on Saturday.

Five Italian divers died Thursday while attempting to explore caves at a depth of about 50 meters (164 feet). One body has been recovered from a cave at approximately 60 meters (197 feet).

The incident is believed to be the worst single diving accident in the Indian Ocean nation, a popular tourist destination known for its coral islands.

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu traveled to Vaavu Atoll on Saturday to observe the search operations.

“Eight rescue divers went into the water today. When they surfaced, they realised Mr Mahdhee didn’t come up,” Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a Maldivian government spokesman, told the BBC.

The other divers immediately reentered the water and found Mahdhee had lost consciousness.

The Maldives military described the operation as very high risk, with unfavorable weather conditions.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani sent condolences: “These days of grief for Italy are compounded by the news that one of your brave soldiers… died while attempting to dive to reach the bodies of our fellow Italians.”

“This tragedy unites Italy and the Maldives in grief and respect for the victims,” he added.

Four of the Italian divers were part of a University of Genoa team, including ecology professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter, and two researchers. The fifth was a boat operations manager and diving instructor.

The five entered the water at Vaavu Atoll on Thursday morning, local media reported, and were declared missing when they failed to resurface.

Police said the weather was rough in the area, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of the capital, Male. A yellow warning was issued for passenger boats and fishermen.

Shareef said recreational scuba divers are only permitted to dive to a depth of 30 meters, and it remains unclear why the Italians descended into a cave 60 meters underwater.

Italy’s foreign ministry said earlier that another 20 Italian nationals aboard the Duke of York yacht, from which the five divers departed, were unharmed and receiving assistance from the Italian Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka.