The search for four Italian divers believed to be trapped deep inside an underwater cave in the Maldives has been suspended after a military diver died during the recovery operation.
Five Italian nationals, including a university professor and her daughter, died in a scuba diving accident on Thursday while exploring caves in Vaavu Atoll.
Italy’s foreign ministry said the group had been diving at a depth of around 50 metres, or 165 feet, when the incident occurred.
The Maldivian government identified the fifth victim as diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, whose body was recovered on Thursday.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu confirmed a sixth death on Saturday, identifying the victim as Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahudhee.
In a statement, he said: “The death of a diver of the Maldives National Defense Force while diving in search of missing tourists is a matter of deep sorrow for me and for every Maldivian citizen. This is heartbreaking news.”
Presidential spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef said the search was suspended after the military diver died from underwater decompression sickness following his transfer to a hospital in the capital.
Authorities are now awaiting the arrival of three Finnish divers, who specialise in deep and cave diving, to reassess the search strategy, he added.
“The death goes to show the difficulty of the mission,” Mr Shareef said.
Saturday’s search operation involved eight local divers working in shifts to locate the missing Italians, according to Italy’s foreign ministry.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said every possible effort would be made to return the victims.
The University of Genoa identified four of the victims as ecology professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, who was a student, research fellow Muriel Oddenino, and marine biology graduate Federico Gualtieri.
In a statement posted on its website, the university said: “The sympathy of the entire university community goes out to the families, colleagues and students who shared their human and professional journey.”
A renewed search for the remaining bodies began on Saturday after rough weather repeatedly disrupted recovery efforts on Friday.
Mr Shareef said Mr Benedetti’s body was found near the mouth of a cave, while the other four divers are believed to have entered deeper inside.
Two Italian specialists, including a deep-sea rescue expert and a cave diving expert, were also expected to join the recovery operation, Mr Shareef said.
Ms Montefalcone’s husband, Carlo Sommacal, told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that his wife was an “expert” diver who had completed around 5,000 dives.
“She knows what to do even in times of difficulty,” he added.
Mr Sommacal said the same was true of Mr Benedetti, whom he described as “meticulous”.
“He checked everything: the tanks, the weather conditions. He’s not a fool.”
He said he hoped the bodies of his wife and daughter would be recovered for the sake of himself and his son Matteo, but also because “Monica usually had a GoPro when she went diving”.
“I don’t know if she had one the other day. If they find it, maybe from there we can understand what happened,” he said.
Ms Montefalcone was an award-winning marine biologist known for her television appearances and her work on marine conservation projects.
She had previously been interviewed by Sky TG24 and received the 2022 Atlantide Prize for her contribution to the study of marine ecosystems and her commitment to marine conservation.
“I have dedicated my entire life to discovering and studying the wonders that live beneath the surface of our seas,” she told a local television station, according to Sky TG24, after receiving the award.
The divers were reported missing at around 1:45pm by the crew of the diving vessel they had been travelling on, after the group failed to resurface.
Conditions at the time were described as unfavourable, with a yellow weather alert in effect.
A major search and rescue operation was launched by the Maldivian Coast Guard and the Maldives National Defense Force, with boats, aircraft and dive teams deployed to the area.
“A body has been found among the five divers who dived in Vaavu Atoll,” the MNDF said in a statement to Italian news agency ANSA.
“The body was found inside a cave. The other four divers are believed to be inside the same cave, which extends to a depth of approximately 60m.”
Italy’s foreign ministry said the Italian embassy in Sri Lanka was working to contact the victims’ families and provide consular assistance.
