MALE, Maldives — A Maldivian military diver died Saturday morning from decompression sickness sustained while searching for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to have perished inside a deep underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll, officials from both nations said.
The deceased service member, identified by Maldivian presidential spokesperson Mohammed Hussain Shareef as Mohamed Mahudhee of the Maldives National Defense Force, was transported to a hospital in the capital city of Malé but did not survive. Shareef said Mahudhee’s death “demonstrates the difficulty of the mission.”
The Italian divers — Monica Montefalcone, an associate ecology professor at the University of Genoa; her daughter Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and dive instructor Gianluca Benedetti — were exploring a cave at roughly 50 meters (160 feet) on Thursday when the accident occurred, according to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Maldives caps recreational diving at 30 meters.
Shareef told reporters that Benedetti’s body was recovered Thursday near the cave entrance. Authorities believe the four remaining divers moved deeper into the cave system, which Italian officials described as comprising three large chambers connected by narrow passages. Recovery teams explored two of the three chambers on Friday but were limited by oxygen constraints and decompression requirements. The third chamber was to be searched Saturday, the ministry said.
Bad weather has hampered the multi-day effort. Two Italian specialists — one deep-water rescue expert and one cave-diving specialist — are expected to join the recovery operation, Shareef added. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said everything possible would be done to bring the victims home, and his ministry is coordinating with Divers Alert Network, a specialized diving organization, to support recovery and repatriation.
The University of Genoa said in a Friday statement that Montefalcone and Oddenino were in the Maldives on an official scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study climate change impacts on tropical biodiversity. However, the university specified that the scuba activity during which the fatal accident occurred was not part of the planned research and was “conducted privately.” The statement said Sommacal and Gualtieri were not participants in the scientific mission.
Cave diving is a highly technical, hazardous activity requiring specialized training, equipment, and strict safety protocols. Experts say disorientation is common inside caves, where sediment clouds can suddenly reduce visibility to near zero. Diving at 50 meters also exceeds the maximum recommended depth for recreational divers under most major certification agencies; depths beyond 40 meters are considered technical diving and demand specialized preparation.
Italian officials said about 20 other Italians aboard the same expedition vessel, the Duke of York, were safe. The Italian embassy in Colombo is assisting those on board and has contacted the Red Crescent, which offered to deploy psychological support volunteers. The Maldives Ministry of Tourism has suspended the vessel’s operating license pending an investigation into the accident.
Mahudhee was among the team that briefed Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu on the recovery plan when Muizzu visited the search site Friday.
The cause of the deaths remains under investigation. Italian officials and the honorary consul are in contact with the victims’ families to provide assistance.