5 Italian tourists killed in Maldives cave diving accident; search for bodies suspended due to bad weather

Five Italians have died in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives, Italy’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, with security forces in the Indian Ocean archipelago recovering one body.

The string of coral islands is a luxury holiday destination popular with divers, who often stay at remote resorts or on liveaboard dive boats.

“Following an accident that occurred during a scuba diving trip, five Italian nationals have died in Vaavu Atoll, in the Maldives,” Rome’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “The divers are believed to have died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 meters.”

The search was suspended on Friday after rough seas repeatedly hampered efforts.  

The University of Genoa said the victims included a marine biology professor, her daughter and two young researchers. The school identified them as Monica Montefalcone, Giorgia Sommacal , Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri.

They failed to return from a deep cave-diving trip in Vaavu Atoll, south of the capital, Male.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu said searching for the remaining four Italians “remains our highest priority”.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased Italian, the missing four Italians and everyone affected,” Muizzu said in a statement on social media.

The foreign ministry said Friday that 20 other Italians aboard the “Duke of York” ship who participated in the diving expedition are safe.

Local officials said it was the worst single diving accident in the nation of 1,192 tiny coral islands scattered some 500 miles across the equator in the Indian Ocean.

Aircraft and speedboats were deployed for a major search after the group of five was reported missing on Thursday afternoon, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said in a statement. “One body has been found among five divers who went diving in Vaavu Atoll,” the statement said.

The force also released a map of the search area.

“The body was found inside a cave. It is believed that the remaining four divers are also inside the same cave, which extends to a depth of about 60 meters (200 feet).”

Police said the weather was rough in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday and there was a yellow warning for passenger boats and fishermen.

The MNDF said a coastguard vessel was in the area coordinating the search operation throughout the night. Additional coastguard divers were being sent to assist in the search.

The Italian foreign ministry said an Italian expert was assisting the coast guard and Maldivian vessels in the search operation on Friday. It said officials planned a dive to evaluate access to an underwater cave in the Vaavu Atoll, but rough weather conditions could delay the recovery.

The ministry added that Italy’s ambassador to Colombo, which oversees relations with the Maldives, has traveled to the capital Malé to meet with coast guard officials. The Italian Embassy was also in contact with the victims’ families and providing assistance.

Diving and water-sport-related accidents appear to be relatively rare in the South Asian nation, although several fatal incidents have been reported in recent years.

A British woman tourist died while diving in December, and her distraught 71-year-old husband died a few days later after falling ill.

A 26-year-old Japanese tourist went missing after a diving expedition near the capital in June.

Local media reports said at least 112 tourists had died in marine-related incidents in the archipelago in the past six years, with 42 of them falling victim to diving or snorkeling accidents.