Five Italian tourists died during a scuba diving trip in the Maldives, with search teams working to recover bodies from an underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll.
The Maldives National Defence Force said one body had been found after the group was reported missing Thursday afternoon. Authorities believe the remaining four divers are inside the same cave, which the force said extends to a depth of about 60 meters, or 200 feet.
“Following an accident that occurred during a scuba diving trip, five Italian nationals have died in Vaavu Atoll, in the Maldives,” Rome’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The ministry said the divers were believed to have died while trying to explore caves at a depth of about 50 meters.
The University of Genoa said the victims included Monica Montefalcone, a marine biology professor; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; and two young researchers, Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri. The source material did not identify the fifth victim.
Twenty other Italians who were aboard the “Duke of York” ship and took part in the diving expedition are safe, the Italian foreign ministry said Friday.
Aircraft and speedboats were deployed after the divers failed to return from the trip in Vaavu Atoll, south of the capital, Malé. The MNDF said a coast guard vessel coordinated the search overnight and that additional coast guard divers were being sent to assist.
Recovery efforts may be difficult. Police said rough weather affected Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, with a yellow warning in place for passenger boats and fishermen. Italy’s foreign ministry said an Italian expert was assisting the coast guard and Maldivian vessels, and that officials planned a dive to assess access to the cave, though weather could delay the operation.
Italy’s ambassador to Colombo, whose post oversees relations with the Maldives, traveled to Malé to meet coast guard officials, the ministry said. The Italian Embassy was also in contact with the victims’ families and providing assistance.
Local officials described the accident as the worst single diving disaster in the Maldives, a nation of small coral islands in the Indian Ocean that draws visitors for diving, resorts and liveaboard boat trips. Fatal water-sport incidents appear relatively rare there, though several have been reported in recent years.
The immediate focus remained on reaching the underwater cave and recovering the remaining victims as weather and diving conditions allowed.
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