Five Italians have died in a diving accident in the Maldives, Italy’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, with security forces in the Indian Ocean archipelago recovering one body.
The chain of coral islands is a luxury vacation destination popular with divers, who often stay at remote resorts or on dive boats.
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“Following an accident that occurred during a diving trip, five Italian citizens have died in Vaavu Atoll, in the Maldives,” Rome’s Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement.
The divers are believed to have died while trying to explore the caves at a depth of 50 metres.
The University of Genoa said the victims included a marine biology professor, her daughter and two young researchers.
They failed to return from a deep cave diving trip in Vaavu Atoll, south of the capital, Male.
Local officials said it was the worst single diving accident in the country of 1,192 small coral islands spread about 800 kilometers (500 miles) along the equator in the Indian Ocean.
Aircraft and speedboats were deployed for a major search after the group of five was reported missing on Thursday afternoon, the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) said in a statement.
"A body has been found among five divers who went diving in Vaavu Atoll," said the statement.
"The body was found inside a cave. The remaining four divers are also believed to be inside the same cave, which lies at a depth of about 60 meters (200 feet)."
Police said the weather was rough in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday and there was a yellow warning for passenger boats and fishermen.
The MNDF said a coastguard vessel was in the area coordinating the search operation throughout the night. Additional Coast Guard divers were being dispatched to assist in the search.
Accidents related to diving and water sports appear to be relatively rare in the South Asian country, although some fatal incidents have been reported in recent years.
A British tourist died while diving in December and her distraught 71-year-old husband died days later after falling ill.
A 26-year-old Japanese tourist disappeared after a diving expedition near the capital in June.
Local media reports said at least 112 tourists had died in sea-related incidents in the archipelago in the past six years, with 42 of them victims of diving or snorkeling accidents.
