By Laura Sharman, CNN
(CNN) — International cave divers have arrived in the Maldives to step up the search for the remains of four Italians who died while scuba diving in the island paradise, a day after a military officer lost his life in the recovery attempt.
Three Finnish divers from the Divers Alert Network, a global scuba safety group, touched down in the Maldives on Sunday and were on their way to meet the local coast guard team to work on a new strategy to complete the mission, said the Maldives’ chief government spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef.
“They were recommended by Italy and have completed deep dives and cave dives around the world,” Shareef told CNN.
A fourth diving expert is expected to join the Finnish team on Sunday, as is specialist equipment from Australia and the United Kingdom.
Five Italian divers died after exploring the Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, prompting the multinational rescue mission. They were on a scuba diving expedition with another 20 Italian nationals, aboard the Duke of York vessel, according to Italy’s foreign ministry.
Diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti’s body was found at the mouth of the cave, leading authorities to believe the other four remain inside, Shareef said.
They are Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; and researcher Muriel Oddenino.
The attempt to retrieve their bodies has already claimed another life, underscoring the peril and complexity of the recovery effort.
Senior military diver Sgt. Mohamed Mahudhee died on Saturday during a second rescue mission into the cave, which at its deepest point is 70 meters (230 feet) below the surface (about as deep as a 20-story building is tall), and 200 meters long.
“He was one of the most senior divers, which shows just how challenging this dive is,” Shareef said.
“He was diving in a pair, as per protocol, and returning to the surface when his partner realized something was wrong and the rest of the team jumped in to try and save him.”
Mahudhee was laid to rest in full military honors at a funeral ceremony in Malé, where thousands paid their respects including President Mohamed Muizzu, tourism and military officials, and foreign ambassadors.
Challenging conditions
Each rescue dive is limited to around three hours due to oxygen and decompression requirements, Shareef said.
During Saturday’s rescue operation two divers marked the cave entrance by shooting a balloon up to the water’s surface. This allowed remaining crew to swim directly toward it and maximize their time inside.
However, conditions are extremely challenging, with unpredictable strong currents, narrow passageways leading to a vast chamber, and pitch-black darkness throughout, Shareef said.
“You have to be an expert for this level of diving,” he added.
Before resurfacing, the divers must stay in shallow water to decompress after ascending from the cave’s depths.
Authorities believe Mahudhee, a member of the national defense force, died from complications during this process.
The Maldives has extensive water safety protocols and expert divers, Shareef said, noting the archipelago’s ocean territory is around 3,000 times larger than its landmass.
Carlo Sommacal, Montefalcone’s husband and Giorgia’s father, was unsure what could have caused the accident, saying that “something must have happened down there” given his wife and daughter’s extensive experience.
Speaking to Italian TV, he described Montefalcone as a careful and disciplined diver who would never put her daughter or other colleagues at risk, the Associated Press reported.
He recalled her telling him at times: “This one I can do, you can’t” and how his wife survived the 2004 ts