(SeaPRwire) –   A dangerous search for the remains of four Italian divers who went missing deep within a Maldivian cave was stopped on Saturday following the death of a military diver during the operation.

Mohamed Mahdi, a Maldivian National Defense Force member, succumbed to decompression sickness during the high-risk mission, according to Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef.

Five Italian divers disappeared on Thursday while undertaking an unapproved deep dive that significantly exceeded the Maldives’ recreational diving threshold, investigators have stated.

The individuals involved were marine researchers and seasoned divers, including Monica Montefalcone (an ecology professor at Genoa University), her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, marine biologist Federico Gualtieri, researcher Muriel Oddenino, and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, per the Maldivian government.

Shortly after the group went missing, Gianluca Benedetti was found dead close to the cave’s entrance. Officials suspect the bodies of the four other divers are stuck deep within an underwater cave system approximately 160 feet below the surface near Vaavu Atoll.

The reason behind the fatalities is still being investigated.

Carlo Sommacal—Montefalcone’s spouse and Giorgia’s father—voiced skepticism about the incident, noting that “something must have happened down there” given his wife and daughter’s extensive diving experience.

In an interview with Italian television, he described Montefalcone as a cautious and highly disciplined diver who would never put her daughter or fellow colleagues at risk.

Search teams report that harsh underwater conditions, limited oxygen supplies, and the cave system’s complex layout have made recovery efforts extremely hazardous.

“This death underscores the difficulty of the mission,” a government spokesperson said following Mahdi’s passing.

The Italian Foreign Ministry stated that the cave system consists of three large chambers connected by narrow passages. Rescue teams explored two chambers on Friday but were forced to halt operations due to decompression risks.

Authorities are now waiting for three Finnish cave-diving specialists to reassess the operation.

Albatros Top Boat, the Italian tour operator that managed the diving trip, denied authorizing the descent and said the divers appeared to be using standard recreational equipment instead of the specialized gear required for technical cave diving, its lawyer told Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Saturday.

The Maldives Tourism Ministry has suspended the operating license of the expedition vessel involved in the trip as the investigation continues.

Experts warn that cave diving is among the world’s most dangerous underwater activities, especially at extreme depths where visibility can disappear instantly and escape routes become limited.