Bodies of divers who died in Maldives scuba accident returned to Italy

May 23, 2026 / 6:41 AM EDT

/ CBS/AP

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The remains of four Italian divers who died deep inside an underwater cave earlier this month while diving in the Maldives were repatriated early Saturday, a Maldivian government spokesperson said.Five Italian divers went missing on May 14 while exploring the cave about 160 feet underwater in Vaavu Atoll. The body of their Italian diving instructor was recovered outside the cave at the time and returned home.A high-risk operation to recover the bodies faced hurdles and was initially suspended after Mohamed Mahudhee, Madlivian, a military diver who was part of the recovery team, was killed. Three Finnish expert deep and cave divers joined the mission and located the four bodies last week in the innermost chamber of the cave at a depth of around 200 feet, or 60 meters. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is about 98 feet, or 30 meters.Maldives President's Spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef said Saturday two investigations were initiated; one into the death of the five divers and the other probing how Mahudheea died while on duty. Shareef also said Italy agreed to share any findings if autopsies were performed on the repatriated bodies.