International cave divers have arrived in the Maldives to step up the search for the remains of four Italians who died while scuba diving in the island paradise, a day after a military officer lost his life in the recovery attempt.
Three Finnish divers from the Divers Alert Network, a global scuba safety group, touched down in the Maldives on Sunday and were on their way to meet the local coast guard team to work on a new strategy to complete the mission, said the Maldives’ chief government spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef.
“They were recommended by Italy and have completed deep dives and cave dives around the world,” Shareef told CNN.
A fourth diving expert is expected to join the Finnish team on Sunday, as is specialist equipment from Australia and the United Kingdom.
Five Italian divers died after exploring the Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, prompting the multinational recovery mission. They were on a scuba diving expedition with another 20 Italian nationals, aboard the Duke of York vessel, according to Italy’s foreign ministry.
