The bodies of four Italian divers have been discovered deep inside an underwater cave in a Maldive atoll. Search operations were restarted on Monday after a local military diver lost his life during a risky mission to reach them.

According to Italy’s Foreign Ministry, five Italian divers are presumed to have perished while exploring a cave approximately 160 feet underwater in Vaavu Atoll, exceeding the recreational diving limit of 98 feet in the Maldives. A diving instructor’s body was previously located outside the cave.

Three Finnish divers arrived in the Maldives to assist in devising a new search plan for the remaining four bodies believed to be inside the cave system. The Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that all four missing divers had been found.

The search was briefly halted after a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, Mohamed Mahudhee, succumbed to underwater decompression sickness and passed away after being taken to a hospital in the capital on Saturday, as stated by Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef.

Three Finnish divers, specialized in deep and cave diving, collaborated with the Maldives coastguard to strategize a renewed search plan in the face of challenging weather conditions that repeatedly impeded rescue efforts.

Initial teams had already explored the cave system entrance where the Italians vanished to mark it for identification. The circumstances surrounding the deaths are currently under investigation.