Five Italian tourists have died while exploring underwater caves 160 ft below the surface in the Maldives.
The group had set off on a diving expedition on Thursday morning to explore the Vaavu atoll, according to Italian media.
Authorities received reports of the divers’ disappearance at around 1.45pm local time after they failed to resurface at around midday.
During the search and rescue operation, their bodies were discovered.
According to initial reports, the five tourists had boarded the ‘luxury’ Duke of York yacht, a foreign-operated live-aboard diving vessel, and they disappeared near Alimatha, one of the atoll’s most popular diving spots.
One of the victims
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