Divers are searching for the remains of 4 Italians in the Maldives after weather hampered recovery efforts

Divers in the Maldives searched on Saturday for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep in an underwater cave, after bad weather hampered the effort the day before.

The spokesperson of the President of the Maldives, Mohammed Hussain Shareef, said that the investigators have prepared a plan based on their process of inspecting the cave on Friday.

Italy’s Foreign Ministry said earlier that the group of divers were believed to have died while exploring a cave about 160 meters deep in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that everything possible will be done to bring the victims home.

His department said it is coordinating with the Divers Alert Network, which is a specialized diving organization, to support recovery operations and the recovery of bodies. The cause of death is still under investigation.

The victims were identified as Monica Montefalcone, associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; his daughter Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government.

Benedetti’s body was found on Thursday.

Montefalcone and Oddenino were in the Maldives on an official scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study the effects of climate change on tropical biodiversity, the University of Genoa said in a statement on Friday.

It added, however, that the scuba diving activity where the fatal accident occurred was not part of an organized study and was “conducted in secret.” Police said the weather was bad in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday and there was a yellow warning for boats carrying people and fishermen.

It added that the other two victims – student Sommacal and recent graduate Galtieri – were not involved in the scientific project.

Cave diving is a highly technical and dangerous activity that requires special training, equipment and strict safety rules. Dangers are greatest in areas where divers cannot go straight up and deep, especially when conditions are poor. Experts say it’s easy to get confused or lost inside the caves, especially since clouds of sediment can greatly reduce visibility.

Diving to 50 meters also exceeds the maximum depth recommended for recreational divers by many major established scuba certification agencies, with depths greater than 40 meters being considered professional diving and requiring special training and equipment. The recreational limit for diving in the Maldives is 30 meters.

Shareef said Benedetti’s body was found near the mouth of the cave and the authorities believe that the remaining four entered the cave.

Two Italians – a deep-sea rescue specialist and a cave diving specialist – are expected to join the recovery effort, Shareef said.

Italian officials said about 20 other Italians who were on the same trip as the “Duke of York” were safe. The Italian embassy in Colombo was providing assistance to those on board and was in contact with the Red Crescent, which offered to send volunteers to help provide psychological support.

The Department of Tourism in the Maldives said it has suspended the operating license of the “Duke of York” pending an investigation.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the cave was divided into three large rooms connected by small openings. Recovery teams checked two of the three rooms on Friday, but the search was limited due to oxygen depletion and collapse.

On Saturday, they will inspect the third room, the ministry said.

Italian officials and a respected lawyer are contacting the families of the victims to offer assistance.

Muizzu said the search for the remaining victims is “a priority for the country.”

“We are deeply saddened by this tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Italian families of the dead, the four missing Italians and all those involved,” Muizzu said in a statement on social media.

Local officials called the incident the worst single diving accident in the history of the Maldives, a country of 1,192 small coral islands scattered about 500 kilometers across the equator in the Indian Ocean.

Accidents related to diving and sports appear to be rare in the South Asian nation, although several fatal incidents have been reported in recent years.

A British woman tourist died while diving in December, and her distraught 71-year-old husband died a few days later after falling ill.

A 26-year-old Japanese tourist went missing after a diving trip near the capital in June.

Local media reports say that at least 112 tourists have died in sea-related incidents in the past six years, and 42 of them were victims of diving or water skiing accidents.