Maldivian police announced that weather conditions in Vaavu Atoll, where five Italian divers died, were adverse today, and that a yellow alert had been issued for passenger boats and fishermen.
The Maldives National Defense Forces (MNDF) said a coast guard vessel was present in the area to coordinate search operations throughout the night.
Additional coast guard divers were dispatched to assist with the search.
Local authorities said this was the worst single diving accident in the nation of 1,192 tiny coral islands scattered about 800 kilometers across the equator in the Indian Ocean.
Diving and water sports-related accidents appear to be relatively rare in this South Asian country, although several fatalities have been reported in recent years.
