DAN (Divers Alert Network) Europe has concluded the underwater operational phase of its search-and-recovery mission at the Dhekunu Kandu dive site in the Maldives. After four days of search-and-recovery operations, specially trained SCUBA divers have recovered the bodies of the missing divers in a deep and remote section of the cave system. DAN Europe hypothesizes that the divers lost their bearings and ran out of air.
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The deceased include five Italian citizens—one dive guide and four individuals associated with the University of Genoa. When the group went out for a dive on May 14 and failed to resurface, the captain of the ship they deployed from sounded the alarm.
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Rescue divers from the Maldivian Coast Guard recovered one body near the mouth of the underwater cave that same day. The mouth of the cave is more than 100 feet deep and the cave system extends much deeper. A Maldivian military diver died from underwater decompression sickness following that first effort to find the missing individuals.
Rescue Divers Provide Details
DAN Europe provided the following details about the interior of the cave system where the divers died.
“Access to the cave system is through a first chamber, which is a large cavern. From this chamber, a tunnel begins, leading to a large second chamber. This second chamber is completely deprived of natural light and has a sandy bottom that can significantly reduce visibility if disturbed.”
“During the search operations, the search and recovery dive team identified an additional tunnel branching from the second chamber and located to the side of the entrance tunnel. Diving through this additional tunnel, the search and recovery team located all four missing divers in the same area. Based on the elements currently available, it can be presumed that the divers were unable to find their way back to the exit, most likely due to disorientation within the cave system.”
See DAN’s social-media posts with photos of the cave system where five Italian SCUBA divers recently died:
Here is part two, which shows the second chamber of the cave system.
Header stock image by torstenvelden/Getty Images
