Military diver dies amid search for bodies of four Italians in underwater cave

The divers went missing near Alimathaa Island, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives (Maldives President’s Media Division via AP)

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

The group of five Italian divers in total is believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 metres (160ft) in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy’s foreign ministry. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 metres (98ft).