The Chief Spokesperson of the Maldivian Government, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, says local authorities are holding discussions with the Finnish diving team on whether or not to resume search operations for the four missing Italian divers.
Speaking about the Finnish diving team that arrived in the Maldives today, Shareef said that they were experts in such recovery operations, having conducted numerous deep-sea and cave diving expeditions.
The Spokesperson said that the divers arrived today with equipment to dive deep into the cave. The spokesman said discussions are now underway with Finnish divers to resume the search operation. The spokesman said the work will start in accordance with their recommendation.
Five divers who went to explore an underwater cave at a depth of 60 ft were reported missing last Thursday. The body of one of the divers was discovered on Thursday, and the other four remain missing as authorities suspect that they were stuck in the 200ft long cave.
Yesterday, a military diver from the Maldives National Defence Force, MNDF, lost his life while searching for the missing divers. Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahudhee was one of the most experienced divers in the MNDF ranks, and he was buried after a state funeral last night.
