Overview
- The five Italians went missing during an underwater cave immersion on May 14 and were later located together in a deep chamber of the Dhekunu Kandu cave in the Vaavu atoll.
- A three‑person Divers Alert Network Europe team from Finland conducted a multi‑day technical recovery, produced photos and maps, and recovered the bodies using rebreathers, scooters and guideline procedures.
- Investigators and the recovery team say the cave has narrow, sediment‑prone corridors that can rapidly destroy visibility and that the group was using 12‑litre open‑circuit recreational cylinders which give only minutes of bottom time at about 55–60 metres.
- The victims’ remains and seized equipment and digital media were returned to Italy and will undergo forensic tests and autopsies scheduled for May 25 as prosecutors in Genoa and Rome coordinate inquiries into possible negligence.
- The case has already cost a Maldivian recovery diver his life and is prompting calls for better cave mapping, clearer rules separating recreational and technical dives, and closer oversight of research cruises that plan or permit risky underwater activity.