The group of Italian divers is believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 metres (160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll despite the Maldives’ 30-metre diving limit
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenAssociated PressPublished: 9:31pm, 16 May 2026Updated: 9:33pm, 16 May 2026A 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 (160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday.
Maldives presidential spokesman Mohammed Hussain Shareef said that the searchers have prepared a plan based on their progress exploring the cave on Friday, after rough weather hampered search efforts.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said everything possible would be done to bring the victims home.
His ministry said it was coordinating with Divers Alert Network, a specialist diving organisation, to support recovery operations and the repatriation of the bodies. The cause of the deaths remains under investigation.
The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate ecology professor 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.
