Bodies of Missing Italian Divers Found in Maldives
The bodies of four Italian divers who went missing during a scuba diving accident in the Maldives last week have been recovered, Italian and Maldivian officials confirmed to the BBC.
One body, belonging to a fifth member of the group, had already been located following the incident on Thursday.
The Italian nationals were discovered inside a 60-metre-deep (197ft) cave in Vaavu Atoll by a joint team of highly trained Finnish and Maldivian divers, according to local authorities.
Tragically, a rescue diver also died on Saturday while searching for the bodies of the group.
"Further dives [are] to be carried out in the coming days to recover the bodies," Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a Maldivian government spokesperson, said in a message to the BBC.
The incident is considered the worst single diving accident in the Maldives, a small Indian Ocean nation known for its coral islands and popularity as a tourist destination.
Four of the Italian divers were part of a University of Genoa team, including professor of ecology Monica Montefalcone, her daughter, and two researchers.
It is believed that the four bodies were located in the same underwater cave where the military found the first body on the day of the accident.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
