The bodies of four Italian divers who went missing during a cave dive in Vaavu Atoll have been located, according to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).

In a post on X, MNDF said the recovery was made during a joint operation involving the Coast Guard, Maldives Police Service, and foreign divers deployed by the Italian government.

Chief Spokesperson of the President's Office Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) said the bodies were found inside the same underwater cave where the group had been diving. He added that recovery operations will continue in the coming days.

The search mission involved specially trained deep-sea divers sent with the assistance of Italian government working alongside MNDF and Police teams.

The operation had earlier been suspended following the death of Coast Guard Staff Sergeant First Class Mohamed Mahudhy, one of the MNDF’s most experienced divers.

Since then, additional international support has been deployed, including a team of three experienced Finnish cave divers and technical specialists from the Maldives Recovery Mission. An underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was also used during recent assessments of the site.

Authorities said the search effort has been supported by the Divers Alert Network (DAN), a US-based diver safety organization, alongside assistance and technical support from the British, Australian and US governments.

The group went missing last Thursday while diving near V. Alimathaa. The diving instructor was found dead the same day at a depth of around 60 metres (197 feet) inside the cave.

Following the incident, the Ministry of Tourism suspended the operating license of safari vessel MV Duke of York as investigations continue.