Maldivian and Italian authorities are conducting an inquiry following the deaths of five Italian divers and one Maldivian rescue diver during a deepwater cave expedition.

在一次深海洞穴探險中，五名義大利潛水員與一名馬爾地夫救援潛水員不幸喪生，馬爾地夫與義大利當局目前正展開調查。

The incident occurred on May 14 within the Devana Kandu cave system. The party, led by University of Genoa professor Monica Montefalcone and comprising three researchers and an instructor, descended to approximately 60 meters—double the legal recreational limit of 30 meters. The recovery of the deceased was facilitated by Finnish technical divers from Divers Alert Network Europe, who utilized closed-circuit rebreathers to navigate the high-risk environment. The operation was temporarily suspended following the death of Staff Sergeant Mohamed Mahudhee, a Maldivian military diver, due to suspected decompression illness.

該事故發生於 5 月 14 日的 Devana Kandu 洞穴系統。該團隊由熱那亞大學教授 Monica Montefalcone 領隊，成員包括三名研究員及一名教練，潛入深度約 60 公尺——為法律規定 30 公尺娛樂潛水上限的兩倍。遺體搜救由 Divers Alert Network Europe 的芬蘭技術潛水員協助，他們使用閉路循環呼吸器在該高風險環境中作業。隨後，一名馬爾地夫軍方潛水員、參謀中士 Mohamed Mahudhee 疑似因減壓症死亡，導致救援行動暫時中止。

Institutional discrepancies regarding the mission's authorization have emerged. While a permit for soft coral research was granted, the Maldivian government asserted that the specific intent to conduct cave diving was not disclosed. Furthermore, the University of Genoa characterized the dive as a personal excursion conducted outside the scope of the authorized scientific mission. Consequently, the operating license of the vessel, MV Duke of York, has been suspended, as it lacked the requisite dive school permit for such expeditions.

關於任務授權的機構分歧隨之顯現。儘管獲准進行軟珊瑚研究，但馬爾地夫政府主張，對方並未披露進行洞穴潛水的具體意圖。此外，熱那亞大學將此次潛水定義為個人行程，不在獲准的科學任務範圍之內。因此，由於該船 MV Duke of York 缺乏此類探險所需的潛水學校許可證，其營運執照已被吊銷。

Causal hypotheses are currently being analyzed by forensic and medical experts. One theory, proposed by Alfonso Bolognini of the Italian Society of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, suggests the occurrence of a 'Venturi effect,' wherein a pressure drop at the cave's narrow entrance may have created a vacuum, forcibly drawing the divers into the cavern. Other considerations include oxygen toxicity resulting from the use of compressed air at extreme depths and the impact of adverse meteorological conditions. The Rome Prosecutor's Office has initiated a manslaughter investigation, and authorities are currently reviewing GoPro footage recovered from the site to reconstruct the event.

法醫與醫療專家目前正在分析死因假設。義大利水下及高壓醫學會的 Alfonso Bolognini 提出的一項理論認為，現場發生了「文氏效應」（Venturi effect），即洞穴狹窄入口處的壓力下降可能產生真空，將潛水員強行吸入洞內。其他考慮因素包括在極深水域使用壓縮空氣導致的氧中毒，以及惡劣氣象條件的影響。羅馬檢察官辦公室已啟動過失致死調查，當局目前正審視從現場回收的 GoPro 影像以還原事件經過。

The recovery phase has concluded with the repatriation of the victims pending, while legal and scientific investigations continue to determine the precise cause of the fatalities.

搜救階段已結束，目前等待將受害者遺體運回，而法律與科學調查仍在繼續，以確定確切死因。