Family Claims True Cause of Sergeant Mahdi’s Death Remains Hidden – Report

The family of Sergeant First Class Mohamed Mahdi, a Coast Guard diver who died during a rescue operation for four Italian tourists trapped in a cave at Vaavu Atoll’s "Dhevana Kandu" last May, has disputed the government’s official account of his death, according to a report by *Maldives Independent* citing family sources.

According to his family, Mahdi passed away after becoming separated from his diving team inside a cave and subsequently running out of oxygen.

In a detailed report published by the local online news outlet "Maldives Independent," the family of the deceased alleged that, contrary to official government statements, Mahdi had passed away long before his body was recovered from the water.

At the time of the incident, the government informed international media outlets that Mahdi was unconscious when he was discovered and that his death was caused by decompression sickness sustained during his ascent. However, the death certificate issued by ADK Hospital identifies the cause of death as cerebral arterial gas embolism. This condition resulted from air bubbles entering the arteries of the brain due to a rapid ascent to the surface.

However, Mahdi's brother told "Maldives Independent" that based on diving footage shown to the family and information provided by MNDF and police divers involved in the operation, Mahdi was discovered by a police diving team at a depth of 69 meters inside the second section of a cave. The family stated that when he was found, his regulator was out of his mouth and one of his oxygen tanks was empty. The report further noted that Mahdi was located more than 80 minutes after he first became separated from his team.

"They knew he was dead. They knew it very well," Mahdi's brother told Maldives Independent. He noted that even an MNDF officer at the scene referred to him using terms such as "the deceased" or "the body" while he was being loaded into the ambulance.

Records shared by the family with the news outlet reveal that Mahdi had no pulse from the moment he was pulled to the surface. The report further states that the hospital pronounced him dead without knowing how long he had been submerged or the specific details of his dive. The news report also noted that while ADK Hospital recommended a forensic post-mortem to determine the exact cause of death, no such investigation was conducted as the procedure is unavailable in the Maldives.

In a letter sent to the police in late June, Mahdi's family requested a precise timeline of the events surrounding the incident and a formal review of the cause of death stated on the death certificate. According to the letter seen by "Maldives Independent," the family also requested that the cause of death be officially recorded as "undetermined" pending further investigation.

In the letter, the parents stated that "he had already passed away before the rescue efforts even began." They further noted, "However, reports claim he was 'rescued from underwater.' This creates a misleading narrative regarding the actual sequence of events."

Last Monday, Mahdi's brother, Faris Ibrahim, stated on Facebook that although the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) had promised to rectify the errors on the death certificate, they have yet to do so. He further noted that the police investigation is facing delays and expressed concern that the government continues to withhold Mahdi's phone "as if it belonged to a criminal."

Mahdi, 43, passed away on May 16. At 3:00 p.m. that day, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) announced on X that a military diver was being transported to Male' after "falling ill" while diving. Approximately one hour later, the MNDF confirmed that the diver had passed away.

Chief Government Spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef told the BBC that eight divers from the rescue team had entered the water, but upon surfacing, they realized Mahdi was missing. He added that other divers immediately descended to search for him and found him "unconscious."

Shareef told CNN that Mahdi had been diving according to protocol as part of a buddy pair. When his partner noticed something was wrong during the ascent, other divers descended to rescue him. He added that authorities believe the cause of death was decompression sickness. Shareef further informed AP News that Mahdi passed away after being transported to a hospital in Male'. The report quoted him as saying, "This death highlights the inherent dangers of this mission."

The report further noted that no official government statement confirmed whether Mahdi was already deceased when discovered or if he had been left alone inside the cave for approximately an hour. However, it highlighted discrepancies in the information provided by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) to the hospital. According to the MNDF, Mahdi was found unconscious inside the cave and had no pulse by the time he was brought to the surface.

The report also noted that Mahdi's funeral rites were completed and concluded within just a few hours of the announcement of his death.

In a press conference held a week after Mahdi's death, Shareef retracted his previous statements and admitted that the body was discovered inside a cave.

According to a report published by "Maldives Independent," Mahdy’s family believes the true cause of his death has been concealed from the public.

Mahdi's brother, Faris, himself a professional diver, told the newspaper that Mahdi is a highly skilled diver licensed to dive to depths of 50 meters and proficient in using advanced equipment such as rebreathers. He also noted that the two brothers had been in contact via message shortly before Mahdi joined the operation.

The report highlights that the cave begins at a depth of 50 meters, a limit which the MNDF previously acknowledged as the maximum depth for Coast Guard divers. Despite international standards requiring the use of trimix for dives at such depths, the military personnel descended using only compressed air. Furthermore, the report notes the absence of a recompression chamber on-site for emergency use.

Mahdi’s brother, speaking to "Maldives Independent" about the sequence of events during the dive, stated that video footage shows Mahdi leading the way into the cave. A second diver followed closely behind, recording the excursion. During the descent, the guideline Mahdi was using to navigate his return path became detached and fell away. Unaware of the mishap, Mahdi continued his dive deeper into the cave.

When the diver trailing behind looked toward Mahdi, he reportedly saw that Mahdi had already ventured deep inside the cave. The diver stated that he was overcome with fear and panic at that moment. He further noted that by the time the third diver entered, the water had become extremely murky. According to Mahdi's brother, although the third diver managed to make physical contact with a body, he was forced to surface after his oxygen levels began to run low.

According to Mahdi's brother, the body was recovered by a police diving team. Police records indicate that the missing diver report was received at 12:22 p.m., and the recovery team submerged at 12:50 p.m. The report further states that, according to their dive computers, the team descended to a depth of 69 meters and successfully surfaced with Mahdi's body within 18 minutes.

The report stated that Mahdi was discovered in the second chamber of the cave. His regulator had become dislodged from his mouth, and his oxygen tank was completely empty.

The report highlights that 64 minutes elapsed from the moment Mahdi was reported missing until his body was recovered. Furthermore, it is estimated that he remained alone inside the cave for at least 75 minutes.

Mahdee’s brother stated that the MNDF contacted him to report that his brother was in critical condition. While initial plans were made to transport him to the decompression chamber at Bandos, authorities first intended to take him to IGMH. However, due to the lack of a decompression chamber at that facility, he was transferred to ADK Hospital following insistence from the family.

Mahdi's brother told the newspaper that CT scans revealed a significant presence of air bubbles in his brain, heart, lungs, and blood vessels. He noted that this led doctors to list "rapid ascent" as the cause of death. However, the family maintains that had the doctors been aware of the duration he spent underwater and the specific circumstances of the incident, they would have concluded that he passed away while still inside the cave.

According to a copy of the ADK Hospital death report provided by Mahdi's family to "Maldives Independent," he showed no signs of life from the moment he was recovered from underwater.

According to a report based on information provided to the hospital by an MNDF medical officer, Mahdi was last seen safe at 11:43 a.m. that morning. His fellow divers realized he was missing while they were performing a "safety stop" at the end of their dive. During the search operation, rescue teams discovered him unresponsive inside an underwater cave. He was brought to the surface in an unconscious state at approximately 1:10 p.m.

The report stated that when Mahdee was pulled from the water, an initial examination revealed he was neither breathing nor had a detectable pulse.

When the ADK paramedic team took over and monitored his cardiac activity, they noted a complete absence of a pulse. Mahdi was officially pronounced dead at 3:11 p.m. According to the report, this conclusion was reached as there had been no pulse or any signs of life from the moment he was recovered from the water until 3:11 p.m.

The report overall highlights that from the moment Mahdi was recovered from the underwater cave, he showed no signs of life.

In an interview with the newspaper, Mahdi's brother stated that he simply wants the truth to be revealed.

Mahdi's family believes that only the conclusion of the police investigation will reveal whether the government is attempting to cover up the matter or if the discrepancies are due to an informational error. However, the report noted that the family remains deeply concerned as no adequate investigation has been conducted to date.