- Four missing Italian divers' bodies were found in a Maldives sea cave.
- The recovery mission faced challenges, including a military diver's death from decompression sickness.
- Efforts involved international divers and specialized equipment to safely retrieve the bodies.
ROME — The bodies of four missing Italian scuba divers who died last week have been found, Maldives government said Monday, following a fraught mission to locate them in an underwater cave.
Five Italians died while exploring the Vaavu Atoll caves on Thursday, prompting a multinational effort to find and retrieve their remains.
One of them was discovered that same day at the entrance to the maze-like cave. International cave divers teamed up with Maldivian experts to try to locate the remains of the other four.
The operation resumed Monday following a temporary suspension after a military diver lost his life.
Three Finnish divers from the Divers Alert Network, a global scuba safety group, joined a fourth expert and the local coastguard to develop a new strategy on Sunday. Specialist equipment is being provided by the United Kingdom and Australia, according to Mohamed Hussain Shareef, the chief spokesperson for the Maldives government.
Shareef said the four missing Italians had been located in the deepest part of the sea cave, and that the rescuers plan to recover their bodies in the coming days.
Who are the divers?
Diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti's body was found at the mouth of the cave, leading authorities to believe the other four Italians remain inside, Shareef said.
They are Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; and researcher Muriel Oddenino.
A sixth diver decided not to enter the water when the rest of the group dove in, authorities confirmed.
The group was on a scuba diving expedition aboard the Duke of York vessel, according to Italy's foreign ministry.
The Red Crescent offered to provide psychological First Aid to an overall 20 Italians who remained onboard, and no injuries were immediately reported, the ministry added.
The attempt to retrieve the four missing bodies claimed another life, underscoring the peril and complexity of the recovery effort.
Senior military diver Sgt. Mohamed Mahudhee, 43, died on Saturday during a second recovery mission into the cave, which at its deepest point is 230 feet below the surface, about as deep as a 20-story building is tall, and 200 meters long.
"He was one of the most senior divers, which shows just how challenging this dive is," Shareef said.
What happened on Monday's recovery mission?
Maldivian divers reentered the water on Monday, joined by Divers Alert Network cave divers, and began with a safety assessment of the cave.
Factors considered could have been if there was "too strong of an underwater current" or "if the morphology of the cave was safe enough for their planning," Laura Moroney, Divers Alert Network's CEO, told CNN's Newsroom ahead of the dive.
The team was equipped with underwater scooters and specialized gas tanks that can recycle air, allowing for more time on the dive.
The four Italians were then found together in the third, and largest, cave segment, which divers reported to be even bigger than originally assumed, according to the Maldives president's media office.
The operation was a joint effort by divers from the Divers Alert Network, the Maldives coast guard and local police, who plan to recover their bodies on Tuesday and Wednesday, a spokesperson said.
Asked at what point the mission becomes too dangerous, Moroney said, "The team knows they do not have to put themselves at risk… if there is any condition they deem to be too dangerous, they will stop the dive, go back to surface, replan and then dive again the next day, or whenever possible."
Rescue diver dies from decompression sickness
Authorities believe military diver Mahudhee, a member of the national defense force, died from decompression sickness caused by a rapid decrease in pressure that surrounds someone, either air or water.
Decompression sickness is most common in scuba or deep-sea divers, but it can also happen during high-altitude or unpressurized air travel, according to Harvard Health.
Each dive in the Maldives recovery mission is limited to around three hours due to oxygen and decompression requirements, Shareef said.
However, conditions are extremely challenging, with unpredictable strong currents, narrow passageways leading to a vast cave chamber, and pitch-black darkness throughout, Shareef said.
"You have to be an expert for this level of diving," he added.
During Saturday's recovery operation, two divers marked the cave entrance by shooting a balloon up to the water's surface. This allowed other crew to swim directly toward it and maximize their time inside.
Before resurfacing, divers must stay in shallow water to decompress after ascending from the cave's depths.
Authorities believe Mahudhee, a member of the national defense force, died from complications during this process.
"He was diving in a pair, as per protocol, and returning to the surface when his partner realized something was wrong and the rest of the team jumped in to try and save him," Shareef said.
Mahudhee was laid to rest with full military honors at a ceremony in the Maldivian capital Malé, where thousands paid their respects, including President Mohamed Muizzu, tourism and military officials and foreign ambassadors.
Maldives has extensive water safety protocols and expert divers, Shareef said, noting the archipelago's ocean territory is around 3,000 times larger than its landmass.
