Bodies of 4 remaining divers located in Maldives, divers network says
DAN Europe said the "highly delicate recovery" process would start over the next few days.
abcnews.comHere are the latest developments I can summarize right now:
- There has been a serious diving incident in the Maldives involving Italian divers who entered a cave system off Vaavu Atoll. Multiple outlets reported that the bodies of the divers were located over the course of mid-May 2026, following a multinational recovery effort.[1][3][4]
- The operation drew help from specialized cave-diving teams from Finland, and authorities indicated the divers may have exceeded local recreational depth limits. One Maldivian military diver died during recovery efforts.[4][10][1]
- Reports from various outlets noted this as one of the deadliest diving incidents in Maldives' history and mentioned that the Maldives had strict recreational diving depth limits (around 30 meters, or about 98 feet) and bans on solo diving for tourists. Repatriation of remains was being coordinated with the Italian government.[1][4]
- By mid-May, news outlets including ABC News, Sky News, and Firstpost were reporting that the remaining divers had been found and that the rescue work had transitioned to recovery rather than search. Multiple sources reiterated the involvement of international rescue teams and the emotional impact on families.[2][3][4]
Would you like me to compile a concise timeline of events with dates, or pull quotes from these sources and provide citations for each point? I can also summarize the key safety and regulatory notes that surfaced in the coverage.