The government has confirmed that Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahdhee failed to resurface during today’s operation to recover the bodies of four Italian divers.
In an interview with the BBC, chief government Spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) said that eight divers participated in today’s mission, but Mahdhee did not emerge with the rest of the team.
"Eight rescue divers went into the water today. When they surfaced, they realised Mr Mahdhee didn't come up," the BBC quoted Mundhu as saying.
He further noted that divers immediately returned to search for Mahdhee and found him unconscious. It remains unclear whether the same divers who had just surfaced were the ones who conducted the second dive to rescue him.
The Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) said that Mahdhee, 44, passed away while receiving treatment at ADK Hospital.
He is survived by two wives and two children. His funeral will be held with full military honors tonight at 10:00 pm at the Islamic Centre in Male'.
The initial incident occurred last Thursday when five Italian divers died in a cave located 60 meters underwater. However, Maldivian Coast Guard divers are typically trained for depths of up to 50 meters.
The MNDF stated that the body of one of the five missing divers was located inside the cave. The bodies of the remaining four are also believed to be inside the cave.
Diving experts indicate that the entrance to the cave is situated at a depth of between 55 and 60 meters.
A military official speaking on a program of the Public Service Media (PSM) last night revealed that soldiers are operating under "extreme risk" due to a lack of specialized equipment required for such hazardous deep-sea operations.
