Rescue diver dies while recovering bodies of Italian scuba divers

by · UPI

May 16 (UPI) -- A rescue diver has died after an attempt to recover the bodies of four of the five Italians killed on a scuba diving trip in the Maldives.

Mohamed Mahudhee, of the Maldivian national defense force, died of decompression sickness, also known as "the bends," after being transferred to a hospital in Malé, the capital of the Maldives.

"Eight rescue divers went into the water today. When they surfaced, they realized Mr. Mahudhee didn't come up," Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a Maldivian government spokesperson told the BBC.

The other divers went back into the water and found Mahdhee had blacked out.

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"The death goes to show the difficulty of the mission," Shareef said.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani sent condolences.

"These days of grief for Italy are compounded by the news that one of your brave soldiers ... died while attempting to dive to reach the bodies of our fellow Italians," he said. "This tragedy unites Italy and the Maldives in grief and respect for the victims."

Five Italian divers died while exploring an underwater cave at about 164 feet deep on Thursday in the Vaavu Atoll area of the Indian Ocean archipelago.

On Friday, the Maldivian military found the body of diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti near the mouth of the cave. They suspended the search for the other four, whom they believe are inside the cave, due to poor weather conditions.

The original victims are: Monica Montefalcone, an ecology professor at the University of Genoa; her daughter Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and Benedetti, the Maldivian government said.

The boat crew called authorities after the group didn't return to the surface.

Shareef said recreational scuba divers are only allowed to dive up to a depth of 98 feet, and it's not clear why the group went into a cave that's nearly 200 feet deep, the BBC reported.

Montefalcone and Oddenino were there for a scientific mission to monitor marine environments and study the effects of climate change on tropical biodiversity, the University of Genoa said in a statement Friday, CBS News reported.

But the diving activity they were doing on Thursday was not part of the mission and was "undertaken privately."

Italian officials said about 20 other Italians on the same trip aboard a boat named the Duke of York were safe. Italy's embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was helping those aboard and had contacted the Red Crescent, which offered to send volunteers.

The Maldives tourism ministry said it has suspended the license of the Duke of York pending an investigation.

The Maldives is a nation of 1,192 coral islands about 500 miles across the equator in the Indian Ocean. Local officials said the event was the worst single diving accident in the nation's history, CBS reported.