(SeaPRwire) –   Rescuers located the bodies of four Italian divers deep within an underwater cave in the Maldives, days after the group vanished during a dangerous dive far beyond recreational limits, Italy’s Foreign Ministry reported Monday.

Officials confirmed that Finnish cave-diving specialists discovered the bodies in the innermost section of the cave system in Vaavu Atoll, where the divers disappeared Thursday while exploring at a depth of approximately 160 feet. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 98 feet.

“As previously believed, the four bodies were found inside the cave—not just inside but well into the third segment of the cave, which is the largest part,” Maldives government spokesman Ahmed Shaam stated, adding that the victims were found “pretty much together.”

The Thinwana Kandu cave system where the bodies were found is locally known as the “shark cave.”

Recovery crews intend to retrieve two bodies on Tuesday and the remaining two the following day, officials announced.

The discovery followed the resumption of the search after the death of a Maldivian military diver involved in the rescue mission. Mohamed Mahdi died Saturday from decompression sickness while attempting to reach the trapped divers.

A fifth Italian diver, earlier identified as a diving instructor, was previously found dead outside the cave.

The specialized Finnish team utilized advanced closed-circuit rebreather systems, enabling longer and deeper dives within the confined environment of the cave.

Rough seas and hazardous underwater conditions repeatedly delayed search operations as crews mapped and marked the cave entrance before advancing further inside.

Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances and what led to the divers’ deaths.