Five tourists, including a professor and her daughter, have died in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives.

Italy's foreign ministry said the group had been exploring underwater ⁠caves in the Vaavu Atoll at a depth ⁠of around 50 metres (165ft) on Thursday.

It gave no further details about the victims' identities or the cause of the accident, but said all five were Italian nationals and an investigation was under way.

The Italian ⁠Embassy in Sri Lanka was ⁠working to contact the ​victims' families and provide ​consular assistance, the ministry added.

In a statement posted on X, the University of Genoa expressed its "deepest condolences" and said the victims included a marine biology professor and her daughter.

According to Italian media reports, the divers were reported missing at around 1.45pm by the crew of a diving vessel they were travelling on, when the group failed to resurface.

A large-scale search and rescue operation was launched by the Maldivian Coast Guard and the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF).

"A body has been found among the five divers who dived in Vaavu Atoll," the MNDF said in a statement to Italian news agency ANSA.

"The body was found inside a cave. The other four divers are believed to be inside the same cave, which extends to a depth of approximately 60m."

Source : Skynews