Finnish divers join efforts to recover dead Italians in the Maldives

Finnish cave diving specialists have joined a recovery mission in the Maldives after four Italian divers died in an underwater cave accident. The search effort continues in challenging conditions following the recovery of one body and the suspension of operations after a local diver’s death.

Reuters

18 May 2026 at 10:40:18

Finnish divers join efforts to recover dead Italians in the Maldives

Members of National Defence Force (MNDF) prepare to take part in a search and recovery operation for four Italian scuba divers in the waters of Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, May 16, 2026.

Maldives President’s Office/ Reuters

Three Finnish cave divers are joining efforts in the Maldives on Monday to try to find and recover the bodies of four Italian scuba divers who died in an accident in underwater caves, the DAN Europe divers' network said.

The team arrived on Sunday, DAN Europe said in a statement, after the incident in the Vaavu Atoll, where the Italian divers had been exploring caves at a depth of 50 metres (165 feet) on Thursday.

The body of one of the Italian divers was recovered on Friday, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said in a statement on Friday.

"The body was recovered from about 60 metres deep from inside a cave structure. It is assumed that the rest of the divers would also be inside this cave which is about 200 feet in length," the statement said.

The Finnish divers -- Sami Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund and Patrik Grönqvist -- will work with the MNDF and other officials.

A MNDF diver taking part in the search, Sergeant-major Mohamed Mahudhee, died on Saturday from decompression illness, prompting the MNDF to temporarily suspend the recovery effort which has been taking place in rough weather and sea conditions.

-Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe: Editing by Neil Fullick/Reuters