Add the Gazzetta del Sud as a source
A diver rescuer from the Maldives National Defense Forces (MNDF) who was engaged in search operations for the bodies of the four missing Italian divers has died. We learn this from diplomatic sources. “Maldive National Defense Force (MNDF) Sergeant Major Mohammed Mahdi died during a dive as part of a search and rescue operation conducted by the MNDF,” confirms the MNDF on X.
The presidential spokesperson of the Maldives, Mohammed Hussain Shareef, declared that the rescuers, involved in the recovery of the 4 Italians, have drawn up a plan based on the progress made yesterday in the exploration of the cave. According to reports from Shareef, quoted by AP on the site, two Italians, a deep-sea rescue expert and a cave diving expert, should join the recovery operations.
An investigation has been opened to understand why the 30 meter limit was exceeded
The Maldivian authorities have launched an investigation to understand why the group of 5 Italians dived beyond the permitted limit of 30 meters for diving in the Maldives. The local Edition website writes it. The Maldivian Ministry of Tourism said maintaining safety in the tourism sector is the responsibility of all operators and urged full compliance with regulations, adding that necessary measures will be taken to strengthen safety standards.
Under recreational diving standards generally followed in the Maldives, dives are typically limited to approximately 30 meters, unless undertaken as part of specialized technical diving programs that involve advanced certifications, decompression planning and specific breathing systems.
The investigators, writes The Press, will also have to examine the dive planning procedures, the divers’ certifications, emergency preparedness measures and the equipment used during the expedition. Dive computer data and underwater camera footage may be further analyzed as part of efforts to reconstruct the sequence of events.
Previous to the Maldives
Vaavu is the most serious underwater tragedy ever recorded in the archipelago: specialized sources speak of the deadliest single accident in the history of Maldivian diving. Isolated cases had occurred in the past: last December a British tourist died while diving and a few days later her 71-year-old husband died after feeling ill; in June a 26-year-old Japanese tourist was reported missing after returning from a diving excursion near Malé.
Diving-related accidents are described as relatively rare in the country, one of the most popular diving destinations in the world, where authorities impose, under Ministry of Tourism regulations, a categorical depth limit of 30 meters for recreational diving, with exemptions only for authorized scientific or commercial missions.