Divers find bodies of 4 Italians in Maldives sea cave

World Divers find bodies of 4 Italians in Maldives sea cave May 18, 2026 / 7:29 AM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google Rome — Italy's Foreign Ministry said Monday rescuers have located the bodies of four Italian divers who were believed to be deep inside an underwater cave in a Maldive atoll.Searches had resumed on Monday after being suspended following the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission to try to reach them. The five Italian divers were believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 160 feet in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy's Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 98 feet. The body of one Italian - a diving instructor - was found earlier outside the cave. Members of National Defence Force (MNDF) prepare to take part in a search and recovery operation for four Italian scuba divers in the waters of Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, May 16, 2026.  Maldives President's Office via Reuters Three Finnish divers had arrived in the Maldives Sunday to draw up a fresh plan in the search for the bodies of the other four, who were believed to be inside the cave system. Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said the search was suspended after Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital on Saturday.Mahudhee was buried with military honors in a funeral attended by President Mohamed Muizzu on Saturday night. The diver was part of the group that had briefed Muizzu on a rescue plan when he visited the search site on Friday.   Shareef said Sunday that the three Finnish divers, experts in deep and cave diving, joined the Maldives coastguard in a meeting aimed at mapping a new search strategy. Rough weather had repeatedly hampered rescue efforts. Initial teams had already dived to identify and mark the entrance to the cave system where the Italians disappeare...