Five Italians die in Maldives diving incident, foreign ministry says

The incident occurs in the Vaavu Atoll, where the group was attempting to explore a series of underwater caves

Five Italian nationals have died following a scuba diving accident in the Maldives, Italy's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

The incident occurred in the Vaavu Atoll, where the group had been attempting to explore a series of underwater caves at a depth of around 50 metres (165 ft), the foreign ministry statement said.

It did not give any details about the identities of the victims or the exact cause of the accident.

The foreign ministry said an investigation was underway, adding that the Italian Embassy in Sri Lanka was working to contact the victims' families and provide consular assistance.