Five Italian Divers Die in Maldives Cave
Five Italian divers died exploring an underwater cave in the Maldives. The cave was about 50 metres deep in Vaavu Atoll.
Diving below 30 metres is against the law there. One body was found on the day the divers went missing.
The four remaining bodies were found inside the cave four days later. An international rescue team located them.
The team included Finnish cave divers and got help from the United Kingdom and Australia. A local military diver also died during the rescue mission.
He is believed to have died from decompression illness. His death caused the search to stop briefly before it resumed.
Klear Note — Cave diving is extremely dangerous and requires special training. Diving below 30 metres increases risks of decompression illness and nitrogen narcosis.
Key Terms 2
- Vaavu Atoll A group of small islands in the Maldives in the Indian Ocean
- Decompression illness A dangerous condition caused by rising too fast from deep water