Five Italian Tourists Die in Maldives Cave Dive

Five Italian tourists died during a scuba diving expedition in an underwater cave in the Maldives' Vaavu Atoll on Thursday morning.

The group was exploring depths of about 160 feet near Alimatha, a popular dive site, when they failed to resurface. They had boarded the Duke of York, a liveaboard diving vessel, and entered the water early that morning. Crew members alerted authorities around 1:45 p.m. local time after the divers went missing by midday, prompting an urgent search operation. Rescuers later recovered the five bodies.

Italian media identified two victims as Monica Montefalcone, a university professor, and her 20-year-old daughter, Giorgia Sommacal. The other three were holidaymakers from the towns of Poirino, Milan, and Padua. One report described a victim as a researcher from Genoa. Italy's foreign ministry confirmed the nationalities of those killed but released no further details on identities or the cause of the incident.

Maldivian authorities launched an investigation into the accident. Weather conditions at the site were poor at the time, according to local reports. The Italian Embassy in Sri Lanka is providing consular assistance to the victims' families.