"[It was a] pretty perilous rescue recovery mission for those going in to try and recover the bodies. We also now understand from the Maldives President that one of those divers who was sent in for the recovery of the missing tourists has also died. The President saying that he is praying for patience for the bereaved family, and has conveyed his sincere condolences that the diver Mohammed Mahdi, who has passed away in the line of duty, and requested that he be given the status of a martyr," she said.

The five scuba divers who died while exploring underwater caves in the Maldives included a TV star. The Italian group had set off on a diving expedition on Thursday morning.

It was been confirmed they died while exploring the underwater caves, at a depth of around 50 metres, in the Vaavu Atoll.

One of the victims was Monica Montefalcone, 51, a marine biologist, TV personality and professor of Tropical Marine Ecology and Underwater Science at the University of Genoa.

Her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, 20, also died. The other three victims were named as Muriel Oddenino of Turin, Gianluca Benedetti of Padua and Federico Gualtieri of Borgomanero.

As reported by The Sun, Claudio Micheletto, a former hospital director and pulmonology expert, said: “It is likely that something went wrong with the tanks.

"Death from oxygen toxicity, or hyperoxia, is one of the most dramatic that can occur during a dive, a horrible end. When you breathe too high concentrations of oxygen, the gas becomes toxic to the body.

"During the dive, dizziness, pain, altered state of consciousness, and disorientation occur, conditions that make it impossible to ascend to the surface."