Finnish Rescuer Says 4 Italian Divers Entered 60-Metre Maldives Cave Without Optimal Gear
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 22
Finnish Rescuer Says 4 Italian Divers Entered 60-Metre Maldives Cave Without Optimal Gear
11 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 22
Finnish diver Sami Paakkarinen said the four Italians found dead in a 60-metre cave in Vaavu Atoll were not using proper underwater caving gear and lacked a guide rope.
Paakkarinen said the bodies were clustered deep in one section of the cave, calling the site very challenging and suggesting a tragic human error may have contributed.
The group disappeared on 14 May after failing to resurface in rough weather about 100 km south of Male; one body was recovered quickly, while the other four were found days later by Finnish and Maldivian specialists.
The accident also killed Maldivian rescue diver Staff Sgt Mohamed Mahdhee during Saturday's search, in what is believed to be the Maldives' worst single diving disaster.
The four bodies are due to be repatriated to Italy on Saturday, with post-mortems and a police investigation still underway.
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