All Missing Divers in Vaavu Cave Expedition Recovered After Joint Operation
Area in Vaavu atoll where the divers went missing.
The Government has confirmed the recovery of all missing bodies from the Vaavu diving incident, following an extensive joint operation involving the Maldives National Defence Force Coast Guard, the Maldives Police Service, and specialist, Finnish deep-diving experts deployed with support from the Italian government.
The divers, part of a group of Italian nationals including researchers, went missing last week during an underwater cave expedition. One diver had earlier been recovered dead, while the remaining victims were located during subsequent search efforts.
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Authorities said the recovery operation was completed after coordinated deep-sea dives in challenging conditions, with all missing individuals now accounted for.
The incident has drawn significant local and international attention, particularly following the death of MNDF diver Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahudhee, who was involved in the rescue mission. Authorities have attributed his death to decompression illness, a condition that can occur in deep diving when a diver does not undergo immediate decompression in a chamber after a dive. However, as a post-mortem examination has yet to be conducted, the exact cause of death has not been formally confirmed.
Following the tragic incident, Italian authorities have launched investigations into the deaths, according to Italian media outlet ANSA, amid mounting scrutiny over the handling of the broader search and rescue operation, including calls for a post-mortem examination of the staff sergeant.
ANSA reported that prosecutors in Rome have opened a culpable homicide investigation into the incident, while Maldivian authorities are also conducting a separate inquiry into the expedition.
The Italian media further reported that it remains unclear whether any individual has formally been named as the subject of the Italian investigation.
The Maldives Police Service has also launched a separate investigation into the death of the MNDF staff sergeant who died during the rescue operation.
