Arabic version: حادث غوص مأساوي يودي بحياة غواص إنقاذ في جزر المالديف

According to BBC News,

A rescue diver has died while searching for the bodies of four Italians who drowned in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives. Staff Sgt Mohamed Mahdhee was taken to hospital in critical condition and later succumbed to his injuries, a government spokesman told the BBC on Saturday.

The five Italians died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of around 50m (164ft). So far, just one of their bodies is thought to have been recovered, in a cave at a depth of around 60m (197ft). This incident is believed to be the worst single diving accident in the tiny Indian Ocean nation, a popular tourist destination because of its string of coral islands.

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu travelled to Vaavu Atoll on Saturday to observe the search operations. The Maldives military has described the operation as very high risk, with teams facing unfavourable weather conditions.

Among the deceased are four members of a University of Genoa team, including professor of ecology Monica Montefalcone and her daughter. The fifth victim was a diving instructor. The group entered the water at Vaavu Atoll on Thursday morning but was reported missing when they failed to resurface.

Local police indicated that the weather was rough in the area, about 100km (62 miles) south of the capital, Male. A yellow warning was issued for passenger boats and fishermen. Government spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef said recreational scuba divers were only allowed to dive up to a depth of 30m and it was not clear why the Italians went into a cave that’s 60m under water.