ROME (AP) — Italy’s Foreign Ministry said Monday rescuers have located the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave in a Maldive atoll.
The searches had resumed on Monday after being suspended following the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission to try to reach them.
Five Italian divers are believed to have died while exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 meters (160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 meters (98 feet).
The body of one Italian — a diving instructor — was found earlier outside the cave.
Three Finnish divers had arrived in the Maldives Sunday to draw up a fresh plan in the search for the bodies of the other four, who were believed to be inside the cave system.
Maldives presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said the search was suspended after Mohamed Mahudhee, a member of the Maldivian National Defense Force, died of underwater decompression sickness after being transferred to a hospital in the capital on Saturday.
Shareef said Sunday that three Finnish divers, experts in deep and cave diving, have arrived in the archipelago nation and joined the Maldives coastguard in a meeting aimed at mapping a new search strategy.
Rough weather has repeatedly hampered rescue efforts.
Initial teams had already dived to identify and mark the entrance to the cave system where the Italians disappeared. The cause of the deaths remains under investigation.
This image released by the Maldives President's Media Division, shows divers preparing to search for the four missing Italian divers near Alimathaa Island, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, Saturday, May 15, 2026. (Maldives President's Media Division via AP)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine Senate convened as an impeachment court Monday for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte over criminal charges, in a time of deep divisions that erupted into an exchange of gunfire last week in the chamber.
The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to impeach Duterte last Monday over alleged unexplained wealth, misuse of state funds and a public threat to have the president assassinated if she herself were killed due to their political disputes.
The vice president, who has announced her plan to seek the presidency in 2028, has denied the charges but has refused to answer the allegations in detail. Her lawyers said without elaborating that they “will file the appropriate response ... in accordance with the Constitution and applicable rules.”
Her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, has been detained by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity. They stem from anti-drugs crackdowns he ordered while in power that killed thousands of mostly petty suspects.
Ahead of the impeachment trial, 13 of 24 senators led by allies of the Dutertes suddenly wrested the presidency of the Senate last Monday, but it's still unclear if they can maintain a slim majority.
Several among the 13 senators have been implicated by witnesses in a corruption scandal last year and could face possible arrest if indicted. All those implicated in the flood-control project anomalies have denied any wrongdoing.
The vice president has blamed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., her former ally and running mate in the 2022 election, for “kidnapping” her ailing father, referring to his arrest and transfer to the international court in The Hague last March.
The escalating disputes between the country’s two top leaders reflect the deep divisions that have long plagued the rambunctious Asian democracy.
One of the senators, Ronald dela Rosa, served as Rodrigo Duterte’s national police chief and enforced his bloody crackdowns on illegal drugs. The ICC has named dela Rosa as a co-conspirator and unsealed a warrant for his arrest last Monday.
That same day, Dela Rosa, who was absent from the Senate for months for fear of arrest, suddenly showed up in the chamber to enable Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, a key ally of the Dutertes, to gain a slim majority and capture the Senate presidency.
Dela Rosa told reporters he came out of hiding and went to the Senate using Cayetano’s van but was nearly arrested by National Bureau of Investigation agents. He dashed into a stairway and ran to the Senate plenary hall, where Cayetano and other allies placed him under the chamber’s “protective custody.”
A tense standoff between the Senate’s security personnel and government agents positioned in an adjacent government building escalated into an exchange of fire Wednesday night with the Senate personnel firing what their chief, Mao Aplasca, said were warning shots. Marcos appealed to the public to remain calm in a late-night call on national TV.
Cayetano later said that dela Rosa had disappeared from the Senate. Authorities said they were investigating the possibility that the exchange of fire may have been instigated to enable dela Rosa's escape.
Philippine Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aguirre Aquino IV, center, looks at his phone as they convene as an impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Philippine senate, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Pasay, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Philippine senators convene as an impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Philippine senate, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Pasay, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Philippine Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano bangs the gavel as they convene as an impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Philippine senate, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Pasay, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Philippine senator Robin Padilla, left, and Christopher "Bong" Go takes oath as they convene as an impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Philippine senate, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Pasay, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Philippine senators take oath as they convene as an impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at the Philippine senate, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Pasay, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Police personnel stand behind their shields outside the Senate of the Philippines, in Manila, Thursday May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon)
