Overview
- Authorities located the four remaining victims inside the Vaavu Atoll cave on Monday after Finnish cave-diving specialists joined Maldivian teams.
- Divers have now recovered two of those bodies, with plans to bring out the last two in later dives because depth and decompression rules cap time underwater.
- The fifth victim, instructor Gianluca Benedetti, was found near the cave entrance shortly after Thursday’s dive that left the group missing.
- The operation also killed Maldivian sergeant Mohamed Mahudhee, whom officials said died from decompression illness after a recovery attempt.
- Investigators are examining potential breaches of the 30‑meter recreational limit, permit and guide requirements, use of safety lines and technical gear, and harsh conditions in a cave that reaches about 70 meters deep and 200 meters long, while the tour operator denies authorizing a deep cave dive.