Bodies of 4 remaining divers located in Maldives, divers network says
ROME and LONDON -- Members of an international specialist scuba organization said on Monday its rescue divers had located the bodies of the remaining four people who went missing in an underwater cave system in the Maldives.
The Divers Alert Network Europe said in a statement that a team entered the water near the Dhekunu Kandu site, in Vaavu Atoll, at about 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning.
"During this first operational intervention, the specialist team successfully explored the underwater cave system, assessed environmental and operational conditions, located all four victims still missing, and gathered the critical information required to plan the next phases of the recovery operation," DAN Europe said in a statement.
The team of three divers was in the water for about 3 hours, the network said.
Five Italian nationals, including a mother and her daughter, died while scuba diving in the deep underwater cave in the Maldives, according to Italian and Maldivian officials. The divers went missing Thursday while exploring a cave in Vaavu Atoll, according to the Maldives National Defense Force.
A Maldives military diver also died while working to recover the bodies of victims, according to the Maldives National Defense Force.
DAN Europe said on Monday that the coming days would be dedicated to the "highly delicate recovery" of the remaining four bodies.
"Additional information regarding operational planning and recovery timelines will be communicated in the coming hours as coordination continues with the Maldives National Defence Force and the relevant Italian authorities in Malé," DAN Europe said in its statement.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News' Meredith Deliso and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
