Authorities have confirmed the recovery of the bodies of four Italian divers who went missing during a scuba diving incident in the Maldives last week.
The tragic discovery was made by a joint team of skilled Finnish and Maldivian divers inside a 60-meter-deep (197 ft) underwater cave in Vaavu Atoll.
One body, belonging to a fifth member of the group, had already been located shortly after the accident occurred on Thursday.
Tragically, a rescue diver also lost his life on Saturday while participating in the search efforts.
”Further dives will be conducted in the upcoming days to retrieve the bodies,” stated Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a spokesperson for the Maldivian government, in a message to the BBC.
The incident is considered one of the most severe diving accidents in the Maldives, a renowned tourist destination famous for its picturesque coral islands.
Among the Italian divers were four members of a team from the University of Genoa, including ecology professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter, and two fellow researchers.
It is believed that all four bodies were found in the same underwater cave where the military discovered the first victim on the day of the incident.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong