Overview
- Italy's foreign ministry said Thursday that five citizens died while exploring underwater caves in Vaavu Atoll after a morning dive from the liveaboard Duke of York.
- Maldivian rescuers recovered one body inside a submerged cave about 60 metres deep, and they believe the other four are in the same cave system.
- The coast guard and defence force are running a high‑risk search and recovery effort using boats, aircraft and specialist divers in rough conditions under a yellow weather alert.
- The University of Genoa identified four of the dead as professor Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, and researchers Muriel Oddenino and Federico Gualtieri, while Italian media also named dive operator Gianluca Benedetti.
- Officials described the case as the country's worst single diving accident, and police opened an inquiry as questions mount over a dive to roughly 50–60 metres where complex caves, strong currents and a 30‑metre recreational limit raise safety concerns.