Police have launched an investigation into the death of Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahdhee, a Maldives National Defence Force diver who died during a recovery operation in Vaavu Atoll.
Mahdhee was part of a team attempting to retrieve the bodies of Italian tourists trapped inside an underwater cave at Devana Kandu. He was reported missing when the team surfaced and was later located by a police diving team. He was in critical condition and died after being transported to hospital in Male.
Official accounts state that the operation was a high-risk mission. Conflicting reports have circulated on social media regarding the circumstances. The government has denied directing the high-risk operation in the manner alleged by some critics.
A team of technical divers from Finland later assisted in the recovery. The bodies of the Italian tourists were eventually retrieved and repatriated.
The incident has raised questions about safety protocols for complex underwater recovery missions.
