Body of first diver recovered from Vaavu sea cave repatriated to Italy

The body of one of the Italian tourists who died while diving inside a sea cave in Vaavu Atoll has been sent to Italy, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

The MNDF said the bodies were located inside Vaavu Alimatha Cave, where the group had gone diving. Two of the four missing divers have now been recovered, while two remain inside the cave.

Recovery efforts resumed Monday after a team of foreign expert divers arrived in the Maldives following the death of Sergeant First Class Mohamed Mahudhy, who died during the operation on Saturday.

Government spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) said three Finnish expert divers, deployed at the request of the Italian government, are now leading the operation. MNDF and Police divers, along with two private dive companies, are assisting the team.

A total of five Italian tourists went missing on Thursday. Police and MNDF received the report at 13:45. One diver was found the same day at 18:13, at a depth of around 60 metres inside the cave. The remaining four were believed to be deeper inside the roughly 200‑foot‑long cave system.

Recovery operations were carried out on Friday and Saturday but were suspended after Sgt. Mahudhy’s death.

The incident has drawn international attention, with Italian authorities closely monitoring the operation.