15/05/2026
Five Italians die during cave scuba dive in Maldives
Five Italians have died in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives, the foreign ministry in Rome has said.
"The divers are believed to have died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 metres (164ft)," the ministry said, adding that this happened in Vaavu Atoll.
Four of the divers were part of a University of Genoa team, including professor of ecology Monica Montefalcone, her daughter and two researchers.
The Maldives' military said one body had been found in a cave about 60m underwater, and the other four divers were believed to be also there.
It said divers with special equipment had been sent to the area, describing a search operation as a very high risk.
The incident is believed to be the worst single diving accident in the tiny Indian Ocean nation, a popular tourist destination because of its string of coral islands.
The five Italians entered the water on Thursday morning, local media reported.
The crew of the diving vessel they were travelling on reported them missing when they failed to resurface later on.
