Five Italians die during cave dive in Maldives

Five Italians have died in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives, the foreign ministry in Rome has said.

"The divers are believed to have died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 metres (164ft)," the ministry said, adding that this happened in Vaavu Atoll.

The Maldives' military said one body had been found in a cave about 60 metres underwater, and the other four divers were believed to be also there.

It said divers with special equipment had been sent to the area, describing a search operation as a very high risk.

It wasn’t immediately known what led to their deaths.

Weather in the area was rough Thursday – with strong winds up to 30 mph — though it wasn’t clear if those conditions played a role.