The diving instructor of the Italians who died in sea caves in the Maldives was discovered in a separate location to the four others who perished, it was revealed on Monday.Tragedy struck on Thursday, after five – including a mother and daughter – died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of around 165ft, in the worst single diving accident in the history of the tiny Indian Ocean nation.The body of one of the group, instructor Gianluca Benedetti, was recovered from the mouth of the Thinwana Kandu cave, also known as Shark Cave, on Friday, at a depth of around 197ft.It wasn't until Monday that a team of three elite Finnish divers was able to locate the rest of the group, and discovered them at the end of a tunnel – deep at the bottom of the cave's second chamber.'As was previously thought, the four bodies were found inside the cave, not only inside the cave but well inside the cave into the third segment of the cave, which is the largest part,' said Ahmed Shaam, a Maldives government spokesman.He said the four were found 'pretty much together'.The cave is divided into three large chambers connected by narrow passages, two of which were explored on Friday, but the perilous search was initially limited due to considerations over oxygen and decompression. An initial search operation for the victims ended in tragedy on Saturday when Maldivian military rescue diver Mohamed Mahudhee was admitted to hospital and died from decompression sickness after assisting in the recovery effort. This photograph, shared by the Maldives President's Media Division, shows divers preparing to search for the four missing Italian divers near Alimathaa Island, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, Saturday, May 16, 2026