Rescue teams in the Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives searched for a second day yesterday for the bodies of four missing Italians following the country’s deadliest diving accident, officials said.
Italy’s foreign ministry said that five citizens had died while diving, with Maldivian authorities recovering one body.
Maldives Minister of Tourism Mohamed Ameen said coast guard officers and security forces were scouring remote seas around where the divers were reported missing on Thursday afternoon.
“The coastguard and all relevant authorities are actively engaged in the search and recovery operation,” Ameen said.
The University of Genoa said the victims included a marine biology professor, her daughter and two young researchers.
They were diving in Vaavu Atoll, about a 90-minute speedboat ride from the capital, Male.
Maldivian authorities worked through the night despite bad weather, local officials said. The diver whose body was recovered has not been publicly identified.
The Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF), which is coordinating the search and rescue operation, said the first body was found in a cave at a depth of 60m.
“It is believed that the remaining four divers are also inside the same cave,” the MNDF said. — AFP
