Footage taken on body cameras worn by a group of Italian divers who died while exploring deep-sea caves in the Maldives could reveal how their final moments unfolded.

Several fatalities have been reported in recent years but diving and water sports-related accidents are still relatively rare.

Expert divers have been sent to the Maldives to retrieve four bodies in a deep-sea cave network, in a search mission that's already killed one military rescue diver.