The last two victims of the cave diving tragedy that befell a group of Italian divers off the Maldives have been recovered.
Wednesday’s operation marked the completion of the main recovery phase following another tech dive in the cave, carried out by the Finnish recovery team, in close collaboration with the Maldives National Defense Force, local police forces and in constant contact with the Italian authorities in Malé.
According to DAN Europe, favorable sea conditions during the morning allowed the team to execute the planned dive efficiently and without complications. As in previous days, all three divers entered the cave system with clearly defined roles, including victim recovery, operational safety support and underwater documentation of both the intervention and the dive site itself.
The operation lasted approximately three hours and was conducted using advanced technical diving systems including closed-circuit rebreathers (CCR), DPVs, and redundant configurations designed for deep overhead environments.
The primary objective assigned to two of the team members was the careful transport of the remaining victims through narrow passages inside the cave system while preserving both rescuer safety and the integrity of the victims.
The dive team had to overcome challenges like potential entanglement hazards and visibility reduction caused by disturbed sediment, all of which were successfully managed by the team throughout the dive. A third diver provided operational safety support and documented the intervention in depth, in line with established cave diving team procedures and best practices commonly adopted in recovery operations.
The Finnish rescue team, consisting of Sami Paakkarinen, Jenni Westerlund and Patrik Grönqvist, said:
“First of all, we would like to express our deepest condolences to the families of the divers who lost their lives. The reason we responded to the request for help was our desire to assist in this heartbreaking situation. After three days of operations, all of the missing divers have now been recovered and are on their way home. A huge thank you to DAN Europe, the Italian Embassy, the Maldivian Defence Forces, the police, and all the other volunteers: without you, this would not have been possible.
“We would also like to give a big thank you to everyone for the many encouraging messages we have received.”
Although the main recovery phase has now been completed, the mission itself is not yet over.
On Thursday, the team is expected to conduct what will likely be the final operational dive of the mission. The divers will return to the site to remove guide lines and operational equipment placed inside the cave system during the recovery efforts, restoring the environment and removing traces of human intervention wherever possible.
Given the ongoing investigation, this phase also carries additional importance: The team will also attempt to further document and map sections of the cave system in order to share additional information with the Maldivian authorities.
