MALE, Maldives — Specialized diving experts from Finland began efforts Tuesday to retrieve the remains of four Italian divers who perished in a deep underwater cave system in the Maldives, nearly a week after they disappeared during an exploration dive.
The victims’ bodies were discovered Monday when search operations resumed following a tragic setback — a local military diver lost his life during the dangerous rescue attempt. The Italian diving group was first reported missing Thursday.
According to Maldives government spokesman Ahmed Shaam, the three-person Finnish team will work to bring up the remains from approximately 60 meters (200 feet) below the surface, at which point they’ll transfer responsibility to coast guard personnel who will transport the bodies closer to shore for police custody.
Recreational diving regulations in the Maldives limit depths to 30 meters (nearly 100 feet).
Officials from the Indian Ocean nation announced Monday that the Finnish diving specialists, working alongside local police and military personnel, located the bodies in the deepest section of the cave system.
“As was previously thought, the four bodies were found inside the cave, not only inside the cave, but well inside the cave into the third segment of the cave, which is the largest part,” Shaam said.
He described finding the four victims “pretty much together,” with plans to recover two bodies Tuesday and the remaining two Wednesday.
The Divers’ Alert Network Europe, which sent the Finnish team, described them on its website as technical and cave diving specialists with international expertise in search and recovery operations, including work in “deep overhead environments, confined spaces and high-risk scenarios.”
The recovery team utilized sophisticated technical equipment, including closed-circuit rebreathers — systems that recycle exhaled air and eliminate carbon dioxide through chemical scrubbing, enabling “significantly longer dives,” according to the organization.
A fifth Italian diver — identified as a diving instructor — was recovered outside the cave entrance on the same day the group was reported missing. According to Italy’s Foreign Ministry, the five-person team had been exploring a cave system approximately 50 meters (160 feet) down in Vaavu Atoll Thursday.
Earlier search teams had already descended to locate and mark the entrance to the cave system where the Italian divers vanished.
