Divers recover bodies of Italians from Maldives underwater cave
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- Divers recovered two of the four remaining bodies of Italian divers who died inside a deep underwater cave in the Maldives, with challenging conditions like poor visibility and strong currents complicating the operation.
- The bodies were found at a depth of around 60 meters, twice the legal recreational diving limit in the Maldives, and the remaining two bodies are expected to be recovered soon.
- The five Italians had been exploring a cave in Vaavu Atoll; however, authorities were unaware of the exact cave location and that at least two of the deceased were not on the submitted expedition list.
- Finnish technical cave divers using advanced closed-circuit rebreathers conducted the recovery, highlighting the complexity and risk of the dive compared to typical recreational diving.
- The death of a local military diver during a retrieval attempt is under investigation, with possible causes including nitrogen narcosis or decompression sickness.