Expert says Maldives diving accident victims were just minutes away from reaching surface

A Finnish rescue diver who helped recover the bodies has revealed the five Italian divers who drowned in the Maldives last week were just 15 minutes from the surface when they died, and were not carrying the equipment they needed to survive.

The group vanished on May 14 during a deep-water dive inside an underwater cave 164 feet below the surface in Vaavu Atoll, in what officials have described as the worst diving accident in the Maldives' history.

Finnish diver Sami Paakkarinen, who was part of the rescue effort, has now spoken to The Sun about what happened, and the details are as heartbreaking as they are stark.

"Unfortunately, in most cave diving accidents, the main cause is always human error," he said.

According to Paakkarinen, the group entered the cave without proper cave diving equipment: most critically, a diving reel or guide rope, which is considered essential for navigating underwater cave systems safely.

World renowned cave diver Sami Paakkarinen was flown in to help retrieve the bodies (Maldives President Media Divisio)

"The equipment we found them with wasn't optimal, they weren't using underwater caving gear," he said. "In general, for those who visit caves, it's known that it's not very wise to do so without a safety line."

Without a guide rope, disorientation in an underwater cave can be fatal. There is no way to retrace your route, no reference point back to open water.

The cave was made up of three large chambers connected by narrow passages, and the company that recovered the bodies believes the group may have taken a wrong turn into a dead-end corridor, the same corridor where four of the five bodies were eventually found together, 200 feet below the surface.

Making matters worse, the boat they were diving from had permission only for dives of up to 30 metres, and divers were briefed on arrival about that limit. The group descended to nearly double that depth.

The Italian tour company that sold trips on the yacht said its operator "did not know" the group planned to go deeper than the recreational limit and "would never have allowed it."

Authorities in the Maldives have since suspended the Duke of York liveaboard's operating licence indefinitely pending the outcome of the investigation. Prosecutors in Rome have also opened a culpable homicide investigation into the tragedy.

Five Italian divers have died, along with a rescue diver from the Maldives (Facebook/Maldives government)

What were the names of the divers who died in the Maldives?

The divers were Monica Montefalcone, 52, a marine biologist from the University of Genoa, and her 20-year-old daughter Giorgia Sommacal, along with researcher Muriel Oddenino, 31, and recent graduate Federico Gualtieri, 31. Diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti also died in the accident.

All five were Italian. Benedetti's body was recovered on the day of the accident and repatriated to Italy on Tuesday. The remains of the other four victims were brought home early Saturday.

The tragedy has sent shockwaves through Italy's diving community.