Three Finnish divers have arrived in the Maldives to map out a new strategy in the search for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be in an underwater cave.
The initial search was suspended after local military diver Mohamed Mahudhee died during a perilous mission to try to reach them.
The Italian divers are believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of around 50m (160ft) in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry.
The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30m (98ft).
Military diver Mohamed Mahudhee, who died in the search for the bodies. Pic: Dr Mohamed Muizzu
Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu prays in front of the remains of Mr Mahudhee. Pic: AP
The search was suspended after Mr Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital on Saturday, Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said.
Mr Mahudhee was buried with military honours in a funeral on Saturday night, with President Mohamed Muizzu in attendance.
Mr Shareef said on Sunday that three Finnish divers, who are experts in deep and cave diving, have arrived in the archipelago nation and joined the coastguard in a meeting aimed at mapping out a new search strategy.
The diver was part of the group that had briefed Mr Muizzu on the rescue plan when he visited the search site on Friday.
Rough weather has impacted rescue efforts throughout the mission.
Search operations on Saturday involved eight local divers who worked in shifts to find the bodies, the Italian Foreign Ministry said.
Initial teams had already dived to identify and mark the entrance to the cave system where the Italians went missing. The cause of the deaths is under investigation.
Monica Montefalcone and Giorgia Sommacal
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Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said everything possible would be done to bring the victims home and offered his condolences for the death of Mr Mahudhee.
The victims from the group have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology 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.
Mr Benedetti’s body was recovered near the mouth of the cave on Thursday.
Authorities believe the other four had entered the cave.
The Vaavu Atoll. File pic: Sabine Gerold/Amazing Aerial/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock
Ms Montefalcone and Ms Oddenino were in the Maldives on an official scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study the effects of climate change on tropical biodiversity, the University of Genoa said in a statement on Friday.
But the scuba diving activity during which the deadly incident occurred was not part of the planned research and was “undertaken privately”, it said.
The statement also said the two other victims – student Ms Sommacal and recent graduate Mr Gualtieri – were not part of the scientific mission.
Carlo Sommacal, Montefalcone’s husband and Giorgia’s father, expressed doubts over the incident, saying that “something must have happened down there,” taking into account his wife and daughter’s extensive experience.
Coast guard boat and other vessels deployed in search near Alimathaa Island, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, on Saturday. Pic: AP
The Italian tour operator that managed the diving trip denied authorising or knowing about the deep dive that exceeded local limits, its lawyer told Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Saturday.
Orietta Stella, representing Albatros Top Boat, said the operator “did not know” the group, who were experienced divers, planned to pass depths of more than 30m.
That threshold requires special permission from Maldivian maritime authorities, and the tour operator “would have never allowed it”, she added.
