Five Italian tourists died in a diving accident in the Maldives on Thursday, 14 May 2026, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed. The incident occurred at Vaavu Atoll, where the group—reportedly attempting to explore a series of underwater caves at a depth of approximately 50 meters—lost their lives.
Details Remain Limited
No further information has been released regarding the identities of the victims or the precise cause of the accident. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Embassy in Colombo are closely monitoring the situation from the moment it was first reported. An investigation is underway, and the embassy—based in Sri Lanka due to the absence of a resident Italian mission in the Maldives—is working to contact the victims’ families and provide consular assistance.
According to initial reports cited by the Maldivian news outlet Edition.mv, the five divers were aboard the foreign-registered liveaboard vessel Duke of York. They disappeared during a dive near Alimatha Island. The crew reported them missing after they failed to resurface by midday, having entered the water earlier that morning.
Weather Conditions Under Scrutiny
Local weather conditions at the dive site were reportedly adverse on the day of the incident. The Maldivian Meteorological Service had issued a yellow alert for the area due to strong winds—a warning still in effect at the time of reporting.
Authorities have confirmed the launch of an official investigation into the causes of the tragedy. However, no official statement has yet been released detailing the circumstances leading to the deaths.
Possible Contributing Factor: Oxygen Toxicity
Some diving experts have suggested oxygen toxicity—also known as hyperoxia—as a possible contributing factor. This condition can occur during deep dives when divers are exposed to high concentrations of oxygen under elevated pressure, potentially causing neurological symptoms such as seizures, loss of consciousness, and tissue damage. At this stage, however, this remains only a hypothesis and has not been confirmed by authorities.
One of the victims is reported to have been a researcher from Genoa.