Overview
- Five Italian divers vanished during a 50‑meter cave dive near Alimathà on Thursday, with only instructor Gianluca Benedetti recovered.
- A Maldivian military diver, Sgt. Mohamed Mahdhee, died Saturday from decompression illness during the recovery effort.
- Authorities say four victims likely remain inside a cave at roughly 60 meters, where bad weather, strong currents, and tight passages have stalled safe access.
- Rome prosecutors opened an inquiry into possible safety breaches as Maldives officials suspended the Duke of York dive yacht’s operating license and the Italian embassy assisted about 20 surviving passengers.
- The causes are still under review, with experts citing hypotheses such as toxic oxygen levels from gas mixes, disorientation in low visibility, or sudden currents in a cave system beyond the country’s usual 30‑meter recreational limit.