Maldivian diver dies during rescue search

A Maldivian military diver died on Saturday while searching for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave.

The group of five Italian divers is believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 metres in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 metres.

Maldives Presidential Spokesman Mohammed Hussain Shareef said that Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defence Force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital. “The death goes to show the difficulty of the mission,” he said. Earlier, Shareef said the searchers had prepared a plan based on their progress exploring the cave on Friday.

Rough weather has repeatedly hampered rescue efforts. The Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, said everything possible would be done to bring the victims home.

His ministry stated it was coordinating with Divers Alert Network, a specialist diving organisation, to support recovery operations and the repatriation of the bodies.  The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian Government.