Bodies of Missing Italian Divers Found in Maldives

The bodies of four Italian divers who disappeared during a scuba diving accident in the Maldives have been recovered, local authorities confirmed.

One member of the group had already been found shortly after the incident, which took place last Thursday.

Officials said the four remaining victims were discovered inside a cave around 60 metres (197 feet) underwater in Vaavu Atoll during a joint recovery operation involving specially trained Finnish and Maldivian divers.

The tragedy also claimed the life of a Maldivian rescue diver who died on Saturday while taking part in the search effort.

Authorities believe the accident is the deadliest single diving incident recorded in the Maldives, a country internationally known for its tourism industry and coral island resorts.

Four of the Italian victims were linked to the University of Genoa research team. They were identified as Prof Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, and researchers Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri.

The fifth Italian victim was diving instructor and boat operations manager Gianluca Benedetti.

The Maldivian rescue diver who died during the operation was identified as Staff Sgt Mohamed Mahdhee.

Officials believe all four bodies recovered this week were located in the same underwater cave where military personnel had earlier discovered the first victim on the day of the accident.