Bodies Of Italian Divers Found In Cave In Maldives

ROME, May 18 (Bernama-dpa) -- Rescue divers in the Maldives have found the bodies of the four Italian tourists who died in a scuba-diving accident last week, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.

The Italian Foreign Ministry in Rome confirmed the discovery on Monday.

The search extended over a number of days and was interrupted when a Maldives military diver died during the weekend in an attempt to retrieve the bodies of the Italians.

Five Italians died in the accident on Thursday last week. One body was recovered soon after the accident, but the search for the others proved difficult.

The cause of the accident remains unknown, and the authorities on the Indian Ocean archipelago are still investigating the circumstances.

The island group lies to the southwest of Sri Lanka. Its white sandy beaches are popular with tourists, and its coral reefs are a draw for divers.

According to the Italian Foreign Ministry, the group of divers, which included a marine biologist and a diving instructor, had been exploring a cave system with multiple chambers connected by narrow passages at a depth of around 50 metres when they died.

Media reports suggest that the group was only permitted to dive to a depth of about 30 metres. Special authorisation is required in the Maldives for deeper dives, which the group apparently did not have.

-- BERNAMA-dpa