Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation announced their deaths in a news release on Thursday, May 14. The five Italian nationals who died included a professor, her daughter, and a diving instructor.
The divers were attempting to explore caves at a depth of about 165 feet in the Vaavu Atoll. The Maldives National Defence Force said the first report of missing divers came at 1:45 p.m. local time on May 14.
Authorities launched a search by air and sea, along with help from a nearby resort and safari divers. A crew discovered one body at 6:13 p.m. in a cave about 195 feet deep.
Maldivian investigators continue to look into what happened.
"The remaining four divers are believed to have been inside the cave, which is about 200 feet long," the MNDF said in a translated statement. "Additional divers and special equipment have been sent to the area, as this is a very dangerous, high-risk operation."
The victims included Monica Montefalcone, a marine biologist and associate professor at the Università di Genova, and her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, the BBC reported. The others were identified as diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, recent university graduate Federico Gualtieri, and research assistant Muriel Oddenino.
The university in northwest Italy mourned their deaths.
"The sympathy of the entire university community goes out to the families, colleagues, and students who shared their human and professional journey," Università di Genova said in a statement.
Italy's foreign ministry also said it's working with the country's embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to help the victims' families.
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