Finnish divers recover 2 of the dead Italians from an underwater cave in
the Maldives
[May 19, 2026]
By MOHAMED SHARUHAAN
MALE,
Maldives (AP) — Finnish divers on Tuesday recovered the bodies of two of
the four remaining Italians who died deep inside an underwater cave in
an atoll in the Maldives, an official said.
The bodies were located on Monday, when searches resumed after being
suspended following the death of a local military diver during a
perilous mission to try to reach them. |
In this handout photo release by Maldives President Media Division, a
Finnish diver, left, gets ready to attempt to recover the bodies of two
of the four Italians who died deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll
earlier this month, at Alimathaa Island, in Vaavu Atoll, Maldives,
Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (Maldives President Media Division via AP) |
|
Five Italian divers went missing on Thursday, with one of the
bodies recovered earlier. The plan is to recover the remaining
two bodies on Wednesday.
The announcement that two bodies were recovered on Tuesday was
made by presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef.
Maldives government spokesman Ahmed Shaam had earlier said that
the three Finnish divers would retrieve the bodies, which were
lying at a depth of around 60 meters (200 feet). The legal depth
for recreational diving in the Maldives is 30 meters (nearly 100
feet).
The government of the Indian Ocean island nation on Monday said
that the bodies were spotted in the innermost part of the cave
by the three Finnish diving experts, supported by the Maldives
police and the military.
“As was previously thought, the four bodies were found inside
the cave, not only inside the cave, but well inside the cave
into the third segment of the cave, which is the largest part,”
Shaam said.
He said that the four bodies were found “pretty much together."
The Divers’ Alert Network Europe, which deployed the three
Finnish divers, said on its website that they are technical and
cave divers with international experience in search and recovery
missions, including operations in “deep overhead environments,
confined spaces and high-risk scenarios.”
The team used advanced technical systems, including
closed-circuit rebreathers, a system that recycles exhaled
breathing gas and removes carbon dioxide through a chemical
scrubber, allowing for “significantly longer dives,” the
organization said.
The body of a fifth Italian — a diving instructor — was found
earlier outside the cave on the day they were reported missing.
The five were exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 meters
(160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy’s
Foreign Ministry.
Initial teams had already dived to identify and mark the
entrance to the cave system where the Italians disappeared.
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