Panoramic view of Vaavu Atoll, near Keyodhoo, Maldives.Sergey Chips/Adobe Stock
ROME and LONDON — Members of a worldwide specialized diving organization announced Monday that their search and rescue divers had discovered the bodies of the last four individuals who disappeared within an underwater cave structure in the Maldives.
The Divers Alert Network Europe stated that a group entered the water close to the Dhekunu Kandu location, inside Vaavu Atoll, at approximately 8:30 a.m. Monday morning.
"Throughout this initial operational effort, the expert team efficiently explored the submerged cave system, evaluated surrounding and working circumstances, pinpointed all four missing victims, and obtained the essential information needed to arrange the subsequent steps of the retrieval operation," DAN Europe conveyed in a statement.
The team consisting of three divers spent roughly 3 hours in the water, the network declared.
Panoramic view of Vaavu Atoll, near Keyodhoo, Maldives.Sergey Chips/Adobe Stock
Five Italian citizens, among them a mother alongside her daughter, perished while scuba diving in the profound undersea cave in the Maldives, according to announcements from Italian and Maldivian authorities. The divers were reported missing on Thursday while investigating a cavern in Vaavu Atoll, as indicated by the Maldives National Defense Force.
A military diver from the Maldives also died while endeavoring to retrieve the deceased, according to details released by the Maldives National Defense Force.
DAN Europe communicated Monday that the upcoming days would be allocated to the "highly sensitive recovery" of the remaining four deceased.
"Further details concerning operational strategy and retrieval schedules will be shared in the immediate future as collaboration proceeds alongside the Maldives National Defence Force and pertinent Italian officials in Malé," DAN Europe revealed in their statement.
This story is evolving. Please revisit for updates.
ABC News' Meredith Deliso and Joe Simonetti added to this report.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com