A Maldivian rescue diver died during an operation to recover the bodies of five Italian divers who disappeared while exploring underwater caves in the Maldives, authorities said on Saturday.
Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahdhee lost consciousness during the search mission in Vaavu Atoll and later died in hospital after being rescued by fellow divers.
The incident followed the deaths of five Italian nationals who failed to resurface after a dive on Thursday morning near a cave system roughly 60 meters underwater.
Officials described the operation as extremely dangerous because of rough weather and limited specialized deep-sea equipment.
The tragedy is being treated as the deadliest diving accident recorded in the Maldives.
Maldivian authorities said eight rescue divers entered the water during Saturday’s recovery effort before Mahdhee failed to return to the surface with the rest of the team.
Government spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said divers immediately returned underwater and found Mahdhee unconscious.
The Maldives National Defence Force said the 44-year-old soldier later died while receiving treatment at ADK Hospital in Male.
Military officials said rescue personnel were operating under “extreme risk” conditions because the cave entrance lies between 55 and 60 meters deep, beyond the standard recreational diving limit and above the typical training depth for Maldivian Coast Guard divers.
One body from the Italian group has been recovered from inside the cave, while authorities believe the remaining four are also trapped there.
President Mohamed Muizzu travelled to Vaavu Atoll to observe ongoing search operations.
The Maldives government has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the dive and the depth reached by the Italian group.
Authorities said recreational scuba diving in the Maldives is generally limited to 30 meters.
The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation also suspended indefinitely the operating licence of the luxury liveaboard vessel MV Duke of York pending the investigation.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed condolences following Mahdhee’s death, saying the tragedy had united Italy and the Maldives in grief.
Italy’s foreign ministry confirmed that all five Italian nationals aboard the vessel had died, while approximately 20 other Italians on board were unharmed and receiving assistance from the Italian embassy in Colombo.