A Maldivian military diver has died while searching for the bodies of four Italian divers who were found dead in a cave at a depth of about 50 meters (160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 meters, according to Maldives Presidential Spokesman Mohammed Hussain Shareef.

Tragedy Compounded by Diver’s Death

Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital, Shareef said. “The death goes to show the difficulty of the mission,” he added. Mahudhee was part of the group that briefed President Mohamed Muizzu on the rescue plan when he visited the search site on Friday.

Conditions and Risks in the Search

Rough weather has repeatedly hampered rescue efforts. According to sources linked to the Maldivian military, the operation is extremely high-risk, as the teams are facing adverse weather conditions. It remains unclear why the Italians entered a cave located 60 meters deep, beyond the recreational limit.

The Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said everything possible would be done to bring the victims home. His ministry stated it was coordinating with Divers Alert Network, a specialist diving organization, to support recovery operations and the repatriation of the bodies. The cause of the deaths remains under investigation.

Victims and Their Backgrounds

The victims 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. Benedetti’s body was recovered on Thursday.

Montefalcone and 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. Twenty other Italian citizens aboard the Duke of York yacht, from which the five divers departed, were unharmed and received assistance from the Italian Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

President Muizzu traveled to the Vaavu Atoll on Saturday to observe the search operations, according to the JMH International Consortium of Journalists, which confirmed that the operation continues to face significant challenges.