Maldives National Defence Force Staff Sergeant has died while participating in a high-risk search and rescue operation to locate four missing divers in Vaavu Atoll.

The MNDF confirmed that Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahudhy passed away after his health deteriorated during a diving operation carried out as part of the ongoing mission on Saturday.

The rescue effort was launched after five individuals were reported missing during a diving excursion.

Authorities stated that while one person, the boat operations manager and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti has already been recovered, the remaining four individuals are believed to be trapped inside an underwater cave.

The missing divers were tourists traveling aboard the safari vessel “Duke of York.” Due to the dangerous nature of the operation, the Coast Guard deployed additional divers along with specialized rescue equipment to the area.

According to the MNDF, an initial dive conducted yesterday did not produce any results, prompting a second and more intensive underwater search operation today.

The victims were a marine biology professor from the University of Genoa, Monica Montefalcone, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, research fellow Muriel Oddenino, and marine biology graduate Federico Gualtieri.