Finnish divers recover two Italian bodies

HELSINKI, 19 MAY (DNA) —    The Divers’ Alert Network Europe, which deployed the three Finnish divers, said on its website that they are technical and cave divers with international experience in search and recovery missions, including operations in “deep overhead environments, confined spaces and high-risk scenarios.”

The team used advanced technical systems, including closed-circuit rebreathers, a system that recycles exhaled breathing gas and removes carbon dioxide through a chemical scrubber, allowing for “significantly longer dives,” the organization said.

The body of a fifth Italian — a diving instructor — was found earlier outside the cave on the day they were reported missing. The five were exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 meters in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry. Initial teams had already dived to identify and mark the entrance to the cave system where the Italians disappeared.— DNA