By Mohamed Junayd and Waruna Cudah Nimal Karunatilake
MALE, May 20 (Reuters) - The last two bodies of the Italian divers killed in the Maldives' deadliest-ever diving accident have been recovered, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday, completing recovery efforts.
The divers were among a group of five who entered a deepwater cave for exploration last week, after being granted the necessary permit to research soft corals in the Devana Kandu site.
Maldivian authorities are investigating multiple possible causes behind their deaths, including whether the group descended far deeper than expected.
"A preliminary identification has confirmed the identities of the Italians and work will go on to confirm via DNA through Interpol and other partners," spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef told Reuters.
"In the meantime, all the bodies will be repatriated to Italy," he said, adding that Maldives would continue investigations to "find the facts of what happened".
The group was led by Monica Montefalcone, 51, a University of Genoa professor and marine ecologist who was a regular diver in Maldivian waters in the Indian Ocean, and also included her daughter.
The body of the group's instructor was recovered on Friday, and the remains of two other divers were retrieved on Tuesday after a specialist team from Finland was roped in to help with efforts.
A Maldives National Defence Force diver taking part in the search also died from decompression illness as divers tried to locate the bodies on Saturday.
(Reporting by Waruna Cudah Nimal Karunatilake, Writing by Hritam Mukherjee and Sakshi Dayal; Editing by YP Rajesh and Kate Mayberry)
