The bodies of Italian divers who went missing while diving have been located.
The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) conducted a special operation to locate the missing individuals. The MNDF confirmed that the bodies of all four missing people had been found.
In a statement regarding the incident, the MNDF said that today’s operation to locate the four missing tourists involved the MNDF Coast Guard, police services, and experienced Finnish divers arranged by the Italian government. The operation successfully located the bodies of the missing individuals.
The MNDF stated that the bodies of the four tourists were found inside the cave where they had been diving. The authority also noted that efforts would continue in upcoming dives over the coming days to recover the bodies from the cave.
To assist with the operation, three experienced divers from Finland have arrived in the Maldives yesterday.
The Chief Government Spokesperson, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, has stated that this team is currently conducting orientation dives to become familiar with the dive site, before undertaking the deep dives to recover the bodies.
Speaking to PSM News, the Spokesperson informed that these divers have experience in dangerous operations such as these, having previously worked on such missions in many countries across the globe.
The Spokesperson stated that divers from the Maldivian Coast Guard and Maldives Police Service will be assisting the Finnish team on this mission, noting that they would not be carrying out deep dives.
Two Maldivian companies are also supporting this team, with the specialist divers having brought comprehensive diving equipment during their arrival to the Maldives.
The MNDF Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) had received reports at approximately 13:45 on Thursday that five Italian divers had gone missing while diving in Vaavu Atoll. Subsequently, the MNDF launched an extensive search operation utilising both maritime vessels and aircraft to locate the divers.