A Maldivian military diver has died while searching for the bodies of four Italian divers

A Maldivian military diver died Saturday while searching for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A Maldivian military diver died Saturday while searching for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave.

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The group of five Italian divers is believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 meters (160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 meters.

Maldives Presidential Spokesman Mohammed Hussain Shareef said that Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital.