NewsWorld newsMaldivesFive Italians and a rescuer have died in the Maldives as officials launch a probe into the tragedy - two questions remain unanswered as the investigation gets underway15:34, 18 May 2026Updated 16:25, 18 May 2026Rescuers have found the bodies of four Italian divers who vanished in the Maldives, but questions remain over the shocking deaths.‌Five Italian divers are believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 metres (160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to the Italian ministry. A search had been launched after the alarm was raised but was suspended after the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission to try to reach them.‌The four bodies were discovered four days after the divers were reported missing, and the fifth diver - a diving instructor - was found earlier outside the cave.‌READ MORE: World's top divers race to Maldives to recover diving accident victims' bodies before sharks get to themREAD MORE: Bodies of four Italian tourists found after they vanished in Maldives during 160ft diveThe government of the Indian Ocean island nation confirmed the bodies were spotted in the innermost part of the cave by three Finnish diving experts, supported by the Maldives police and the military. It is not known why the divers were found at a depth of about 50 metres as the recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 metres (98 feet).‌Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef also previously said it was unclear why the divers went to a cave nearly twice as deep as the legal limit, according to the BBC.The five Italian divers' causes of death are also unknown, as investigators have launched a probe into the tragic deaths. A Maldives government spokesman, Ahmed Shaam, shared an update on the tragic discovery.‌Shaam said: "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."He said the four were found "pretty much together". Shaam added: "The plan is they will try and recover two bodies tomorrow and possibly the other two the following day."The five victims were named in Italian media as university professor Monica Montefalcone and her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal. Muriel Oddenino from Turin was also killed in the tragedy along with Gianluca Benedetti from Padua, and Federico Gualtieri from Borgomanero, according to local reports.Article continues belowMaldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said earlier that the search was suspended after Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian national defence force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital on Saturday.Rough weather had repeatedly hampered rescue efforts. Initial teams had already dived to identify and mark the entrance to the cave system where the Italians disappeared.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌MaldivesDiving