Local authorities have stated that the bodies of two Italians who died in a scuba diving accident in the Maldives last week have been found.

"Mohamed Hossain Shareef, a representative of the Maldivian government, told the BBC that expert divers from Finland retrieved them from the cave's third chamber after a two-hour mission."

The two bodies were being carried to the capital Male for identification.

They were one of five people who died in the incident. Two bodies remain inside.

The first body of an Italian diver from the group was discovered shortly after Thursday's event near Vaavu atoll. Italian press has recognized Gianluca Benedetti as the head of boat operations and a diving instructor.

On Saturday, a rescue diver in the Maldives died while looking for the bodies.

Finnish divers eventually found the four missing divers on Monday in the chamber of the cave that is the farthest from the entrance. Known locally as "shark cave," it attains depths of up to 60m (197 ft).

The effort to locate the two bodies that remain missing will persist on Wednesday, and a Maldivian official conveyed hope that they would be found on that day.