A military funeral was held for Mohamed Mahudhy, a committed military diver who tragically lost his life on Saturday afternoon during a rescue mission to find four missing Italian tourists. The funeral prayer took place at 10:00 pm at the Islamic Centre on Saturday night and was attended by senior military officials, numerous service members, high-ranking government officials, and members of the public. Among those present were Foreign Minister Irthisham Adam and Italian Ambassador to the Maldives Damiano Francovigh.

After the prayer, Mahudhy’s body was transported to Machangolhi Cemetery for burial. President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu visited the site to pay his final respects as the burial, conducted with military honors, took place before a large congregation of mourners.

In honor of his service and sacrifice, Mahudhy was posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant First Class prior to the funeral.

Commenting on the incident, government spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) told the BBC that eight divers had taken part in the rescue effort earlier that day. He explained that Mahudhy was reported missing after failing to resurface. 

Fellow divers immediately initiated a search and discovered Mahudhy unconscious underwater. He was quickly transported to Malé and admitted to ADK Hospital for emergency care. Unfortunately, the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) confirmed that he passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital.