A team of three experienced Finnish divers has arrived in the Maldives to assist in the search for four missing Italian divers in Vaavu Atoll.

President’s Office Chief Spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) said the divers arrived early on Saturday morning and are currently coordinating with the Maldives Coast Guard before the operation resumes.

The search mission was suspended following the death of Coast Guard Staff Sergeant First Class Mohamed Mahudhy, one of MNDF’s most experienced divers, during the operation on Friday. His funeral was held in Male' last night.

“They will discuss and decide. Right now the Coast Guard and they are together, they have discussed it,” Mundhu said regarding the next phase of the operation.

He had earlier said the search effort was being coordinated through an Italian company identified as DAN, while the Finnish divers were brought in due to their expertise in cave diving.

“The divers will come with technical equipment,” he said.

The British, Australian and United States governments had offered assistance, with technical support expected from the United Kingdom and Australia, Mundhu said.

The divers went missing on Thursday while exploring a cave at Miyaru Kandu dive site in Vaavu Atoll. The group included four Italian tourists and an Italian diving instructor.

The body of the instructor was recovered the same day from inside the cave at a depth of about 60 metres (197 feet). Authorities believe the remaining four divers may also be inside the cave, which is estimated to stretch around 200 feet.

The legal maximum diving depth permitted in the Maldives is 30 metres.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism has suspended the operating licence of the safari vessel MV Duke of York. According to ministry records, the 12-room vessel is owned by Abdul Muhusin Moosa and operated by Island Cruises Pvt Ltd, a company owned by Muhusin and Ibrahim Rasheed.