Ministry: Four bodies of Italian divers who died in Maldives found

It is not clear whether divers saw the bodies or filmed them with underwater drone cameras.

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Members of the National Defence Force (MNDF) prepare to participate in a search and rescue operation for four Italian divers in the waters of Vaavu Atoll, Photo: Reuters
Members of the National Defence Force (MNDF) prepare to participate in a search and rescue operation for four Italian divers in the waters of Vaavu Atoll, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Italy's Foreign Ministry said today that rescuers in the Maldives have found the bodies of four of five Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll.

It is not clear whether divers saw the bodies or whether they were captured by underwater drone cameras.

The body of one of the Italians, a diving instructor, was found earlier in front of the cave.

The search resumed today after being suspended due to the death of a Maldivian military diver during the search on Saturday.

Five Italians are believed to have died on Thursday while exploring an underwater cave 50 meters deep in the Vaavu atoll.

The limit for amateur divers in the Maldives is a depth of 30 meters, while depths greater than 40 meters require specialized training and equipment.

Three divers who traveled from Finland, experts in deep diving and cave diving, also participated in the operation.

Four Italian divers were part of the University of Genoa team - Professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Somacal, and investigators Muriel Odenino and Federico Gualtieri. The fifth, found earlier, was the ship's manager and diving instructor Gianluca Bendetti.

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