A team of specialist cave divers from Finland arrived in the Maldives today to join the search and rescue operation for four Italian tourists still missing after a diving excursion at a cave in Vaavu Atoll’s Devana Kandu.
According to media reports citing Chief Government Spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu), the team arrived this morning and has already held briefings with the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF). However, details regarding the revised operational plan or the exact time the search will resume remain unavailable as the spokesperson could not be reached for further comment.
Sources informed Adhadhu that the visiting team includes divers who participated in the high-risk recovery operation of two Finnish divers trapped in Norway’s Plura Cave.
The group of Italian divers entered the water at Devana Kandu on Thursday morning. The MNDF received the initial report that the divers were missing at approximately 1:45 pm that afternoon.
The first diver—and the only one recovered to date—was located at 6:13 pm, five hours after the search began. The body was discovered inside a cave at a depth of 60 meters during a joint operation involving the MNDF and divers from local safari vessels.
The search efforts faced a further setback yesterday following the tragic death of military officer Mohamed Mahdhee participating in the rescue mission. The MNDF suspended the operation following his passing.
Amid growing public concern over the tragedy, the government has maintained that a full investigation will be conducted into the circumstances of the incident. However, officials emphasized that the immediate priority remains the recovery of the divers believed to be trapped within the cave system, which extends approximately 200 feet.
This incident is believed to be one of the deadliest diving accidents recorded globally in terms of the number of fatalities occurring in a single event.
