Maldivian diver dies while searching for drowned Italian tourists

A Maldivian diver died during a rescue operation on Saturday, while searching for the four missing Italian scuba divers following a deep diving accident in the Maldives' Vaavu Atoll region, the country's tourism minister said.

"Deeply saddened by the passing of Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahdy who lost his life during the rescue operation in Vaavu Atoll while searching for the missing tourists following the deep diving incident," Mohamed Ameen said in a post on US social media platform X.

Mahdy, a member of the Maldivian national defense force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital Male.

Five Italians, including a university professor and marine researchers, died in the accident on Thursday, Italy’s Foreign Ministry said.

The body of one diver was found near the mouth of a cave shortly afterwards, and rescuers believe the remaining four divers are inside the same cave.

The group disappeared during a dive near Alimathaa in the Vaavu Atoll, where they were exploring underwater caves at depths of around 60 meters (197 feet).

Recovery efforts have been complicated by poor weather and the complexity of the cave system, forcing authorities to temporarily suspend the rescue operation on Friday, but they resumed the search on Saturday.

Maldives' President Mohamed Muizzu, in a post on X, offered condolences to his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella and the people of Italy on the tragic incident.