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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Maldivian authorities connected Saturday suspended the hunt for the bodies of 4 Italian divers believed to beryllium heavy wrong an underwater cave, aft a subject diver died during a perilous ngo to effort to scope them.
The radical of 5 Italian divers is believed to person died portion exploring a cave astatine a extent of astir 50 meters (160 feet) successful Vaavu Atoll connected Thursday, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving bounds successful the Maldives is 30 meters (98 feet).
Maldives statesmanlike spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said the hunt was suspended aft Mohamed Mahudhee, a subordinate of the Maldivian National Defense Force, died of underwater decompression sickness aft being transferred to a infirmary successful the capital.
Authorities are awaiting the accomplishment of 3 Finnish divers, experts successful heavy and cave diving, connected Sunday, to rethink their hunt strategy, helium said.
Mahudhee volition beryllium buried with subject honors successful a ceremonial attended by President Mohamed Muzzu connected Saturday night. The diver was portion of the radical that had briefed Muizzu connected the rescue program erstwhile helium visited the hunt tract connected Friday.
“The decease goes to amusement the trouble of the mission,” Shareef said.
Rough upwind has repeatedly hampered rescue efforts.
Search operations connected Saturday progressive 8 section divers who worked successful shifts to find the missing Italians, the Italian Foreign Ministry said. Initial teams had already dived to place and people the entranceway to the cave strategy wherever the Italians disappeared. The origin of the deaths remains nether investigation.
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said everything imaginable would beryllium done to bring the victims home. He offered his condolences for the decease of the Maldivian diver during the rescue efforts.
The victims are described arsenic experienced divers
The victims person been identified arsenic Monica Montefalcone, an subordinate prof of ecology astatine the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving teacher Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government.
Benedetti’s assemblage was recovered connected Thursday. His assemblage was recovered adjacent the rima of the cave and authorities believed the remaining 4 had entered the cave.
Montefalcone and Oddenino were successful the Maldives connected an authoritative technological ngo to show marine environments and survey the effects of clime alteration connected tropical biodiversity, the University of Genoa said successful a connection Friday. However, the scuba diving enactment during which the deadly mishap occurred was not portion of the planned probe and was “undertaken privately,” it said.
The connection besides said the 2 different victims — pupil Sommacal and caller postgraduate Gualtieri — were not progressive successful the technological mission.
Carlo Sommacal, Montefalcone’s hubby and Giorgia’s father, expressed doubts implicit the accident, saying that “something indispensable person happened down there” fixed his woman and daughter's extended experience.
Speaking to Italian TV, helium described Montefalcone arsenic a cautious and highly disciplined diver who would ne'er enactment her girl oregon different colleagues astatine risk.
Tour relation says it didn't authorize heavy dive
The Italian circuit relation that manages the Maldives' diving travel denied authorizing oregon knowing astir the heavy dive that violated section limits, its lawyer told Italian regular Corriere della Sera connected Saturday.
Orietta Stella, representing Albatros Top Boat, said the relation “did not know” the radical planned to descend beyond 30 meters. That threshold requires peculiar support from Maldivian maritime authorities and the circuit relation “would person ne'er allowed it,” she said.
The dive acold exceeded what was planned for a technological cruise focused connected coral sampling astatine modular depths, Stella added. The victims were experienced divers, but the instrumentality utilized appeared to beryllium modular recreational cogwheel alternatively than method instrumentality suited for heavy cave diving, she said.
She besides clarified that Albatros lone marketed the cruise and neither owned the vas nor employed the crew, which was hired locally.
Cave diving is simply a highly method and unsafe enactment that requires specialized training, instrumentality and strict information protocols. Risks summation sharply successful environments wherever divers cannot caput consecutive up and astatine depth, peculiarly erstwhile conditions are poor. Experts accidental it’s casual to go disoriented oregon mislaid wrong caves, peculiarly arsenic sediment clouds tin sharply trim visibility.
Diving astatine 50 meters besides exceeds the maximum extent recommended for recreational divers by astir large established scuba certifying agencies, with depths beyond 40 meters (131 feet) considered method diving and requiring specialized grooming and equipment.
The Italian Foreign Ministry said the cave is divided into 3 ample chambers connected by constrictive passages. Recovery teams explored 2 of the 3 chambers connected Friday, but the hunt was constricted owed to considerations implicit oxygen and decompression.
Italian officials said that astir 20 different Italians connected the aforesaid expedition aboard the vas “Duke of York” were safe. Italy’s embassy successful Colombo was providing assistance to those onboard and had contacted the Red Crescent, which offered to deploy volunteers to assistance supply intelligence aid.
The Maldives Tourism Ministry said it suspended the operating licence of the “Duke of York” pending an investigation.
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Zampano reported from Rome.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.
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