Italian authorities seize divers’ belongings in Maldives probe

Italian authorities have seized personal belongings belonging to the five Italian nationals who died during a cave diving incident near Alimathaa as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.

The incident occurred on the 14th of this month during a diving expedition inside an underwater cave near the Vaavu Atoll dive site.

The deceased were identified as:

Italian prosecutors are investigating the incident as a possible case involving involuntary manslaughter or negligence.

According to a report published by DIVE Magazine, investigators from Italy have already taken statements from members of the Finnish rescue team involved in recovering the divers.

The publication reported that authorities have seized several personal items belonging to the deceased, including mobile phones, computers, tablets, USB drives and hard drives.

The items were transported to Italy as part of the investigation.

According to the report, Stefano Venin facilitated the transfer of the belongings to Italy.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera also reported on the developments.

In a related development, Mohamed Mahdy of the Maldives National Defence Force died during the search and recovery operation last Saturday.

The Maldives Police Service is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding Mahdy’s death.