Mal©: A Maldivian military diver has died from decompression sickness during a high-risk mission to retrieve the bodies of four Italian nationals from a deep sea cave, bringing the death toll in one of the deadliest diving accidents in Maldivian history to six.
According to Thai News Agency, Sergeant Major Mohamed Mahudhi, a rescue diver with the Maldivian Defence Force, succumbed to decompression sickness on Saturday. The condition, caused by rapidly decreasing body pressure after ascending too quickly, occurred during a dangerous mission to recover the body of a missing Italian tourist inside a deep underwater cave.
The incident follows the disappearance of five Italian divers on Thursday, May 14th. Among the missing were a professor of marine ecology from the University of Genoa, his daughter, two researchers, and an Italian diving instructor. They vanished after exploring an underwater cave at a depth of approximately 50-60 meters in Vaavu Atoll, a popular diving spot. This depth exceeds the Maldives’ tourist diving regulations, which limit diving to a maximum of 30 meters. Internationally, depths exceeding 40 meters are considered technical diving, requiring highly skilled equipment.
A team of Maldivian divers and rescuers reported that the cave’s interior is divided into three large interconnected chambers by very narrow passages. Sediment stirred up during the mission reduces visibility to zero, complicating navigation. The rescue team managed to explore only the first two chambers before withdrawing due to oxygen constraints and the necessary time for acclimatization. The area is also plagued by strong waves and currents, further complicating the rescuers’ efforts. So far, only one body, that of the diving instructor, has been recovered near the cave entrance, while the other four bodies remain trapped in the deeper chambers. It is suspected that the deceased may have suffered from oxygen poisoning due to the high pressure at these depths.
Maldivian authorities are coordinating with deep cave diving experts from Finland and Italy to plan and adjust strategies for the safe recovery of the remaining bodies. Additionally, they have indefinitely suspended the operating license of the luxury cruise ship MV Duke of York, the vessel used by the Italian divers, pending an investigation into why it allowed diving to depths exceeding the legal limits.