5 Italians, including 20-year-old & her mum, die during cave dive in Maldives, search operation launched for bodies

Five Italians have died while scuba diving in the Maldives.

According to Italy's foreign ministry, they are believed to have died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 metres at the Vaavu Atoll, the BBC reported.

They were reported missing on the afternoon of May 14, CNA reported.

Four of the divers were part of a team from the University of Genoa, including an ecology professor and her 20-year-old daughter, while the fifth diver is an instructor.

The circumstances of their death are under investigation, Italy's foreign ministry added.

Maldivian officials were quoted as saying that this is the country's single worst diving accident.

Rescue operation underway, one body retrieved

The Maldivian authorities have since launched a rescue operation, with one body retrieved thus far at a depth of 60 metres.

The other four divers were not located within the initial round of searches, Maldivian officials were quoted by CNN as saying.

The Maldivian military has described the search operation as a very high risk and added that divers with special equipment had been sent to the area.

The BBC further reported that the cave the five divers entered is divided into three large rooms connected by narrow passages.

As of May 15, two of the three rooms have been explored so far in two dives by the Maldivian Coast Guard, with another dive on May 16 planned to explore the third.

At the time of the group's dive, weather conditions were described as "unfavourable" with a yellow weather alert in place