MALE, Maldives (AP) — A high-risk operation to recover the bodies of four Italian divers from deep inside an underwater cave in the Maldives was suspended on Friday after rough seas repeatedly hampered efforts.
Speaking a day after the body of a fifth member of the dive group was recovered on Thursday, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said despite the poor weather conditions everything possible would be done to bring the victims home.
The cause of the deaths remained under investigation. The recovery operation is expected to resume on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, the searches are suspended due to bad weather, but we will do everything possible to recover the bodies of our compatriots,” Tajani told a political event in Italy.
Italy’s Foreign Ministry said the dive group had “apparently died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 meters (164 feet)” in the Vaavu Atoll on Thursday.
