Italy has posthumously awarded its highest civilian honour for bravery, the Gold Medal for Civil Valour, to Maldives National Defence Force Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahdhee.
The medal and certificate were presented to Mahdhee’s family by Italian Ambassador Damiano Francovigh at a ceremony held at Barceló Nasandhura in Malé. The event also marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Maldives and Italy, as well as Italy’s 80th National Day.
Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed and senior Maldivian officials attended the presentation. The Italian government also launched a fundraising campaign, in coordination with its embassy in Colombo and the honorary consular office in the Maldives, to support Mahdhee’s family.
Mahdhee died in May 2026 while taking part in a search and recovery operation for five Italian divers who went missing in an underwater cave off Vaavu Atoll. He developed decompression sickness during the high-risk dive and later died while receiving treatment at ADK Hospital.
Official accounts state that he was located by a police diving team after becoming unresponsive and was transported to hospital. Some sources have questioned whether he had already died before reaching the facility. The search was later completed with the assistance of specialised Finnish cave divers, who recovered the remaining bodies.
Mahdhee was laid to rest with full military honours. President Mohamed Muizzu, cabinet members and hundreds of mourners attended the funeral at the Islamic Centre.
The award recognises his courage and selflessness in attempting to locate the missing divers at depths exceeding 50 metres. Italian authorities described the medal as reserved for exceptional acts of civic bravery performed at personal risk.
