An elite team of rescue divers is racing against time to recover the remaining bodies of five Italian tourists who died in last Thursday’s tragedy in the Maldives, amid fears that sharks could reach the victims before rescuers do.

So far, authorities have recovered only the body of the group’s diving instructor. A Maldivian military diver involved in the earlier search operation also lost his life while trying to locate the missing victims.

A newly assembled European rescue unit — including three highly experienced Finnish divers — is expected to resume operations on Monday, focusing on retrieving the four remaining bodies trapped inside a dangerous underwater cave system.

The mission has been coordinated by Divers Alert Network Europe and includes renowned divers Sami Paakkarinen and Patrik Gronqvist, who previously helped rescue survivors during a 2014 diving incident in Norway.

Several members of the team also participated in the dramatic 2018 rescue operation involving a youth soccer team trapped inside a cave in Thailand.

“We will bring the victims home. We cannot leave them at the mercy of sharks. This mission requires true experts,” DAN Europe CEO Laura Marroni told Italian newspaper La Stampa.

According to Marroni, every passing hour increases the danger. The divers disappeared after descending nearly 200 feet underwater, and the warm tropical conditions could accelerate decomposition while attracting marine predators.

“In warm waters, even if we do not know exactly what species are inside the cave system, the risk posed by predators such as sharks cannot be excluded,” she said.

Marroni also warned that previous recovery missions in similar environments had ended in tragedy, emphasizing that speed is now critical.

The rescue specialists are capable of operating at depths approaching 500 feet, allowing them to carry out missions beyond the limits of conventional dive teams.

“We immediately selected the most experienced divers available — the Finnish team. These are among the most qualified people in the world for operations like this,” Marroni added.

The team arrived in the Maldivian capital of Malé on Sunday, just hours after the death of Maldivian search diver Sgt. Major Mohamed Mahudhee.

Mahudhee had been seen alongside Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on Friday while preparations were underway for what would become his final mission.

The victims were identified as Monica Montefalcone, 52; her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, 20; Muriel Oddenino, 31; Gianluca Benedetti, 44; and Federico Gualtieri, 31. All were Italian nationals.

Most of the group reportedly had ties to the University of Genoa in northern Italy. One member of the diving party survived after making a last-minute decision not to enter the water near Vaavu Atoll.

Saturday’s search operation failed to recover any additional remains, with only instructor Benedetti’s body officially confirmed.

Investigators believe oxygen toxicity — a potentially fatal condition caused by excessive oxygen exposure during deep dives — may have contributed to the deaths.

Italian authorities have launched a separate investigation into the disaster, which occurred aboard the tourist yacht “Duke of York.”

The luxury vessel, carrying around 25 passengers at the time, reportedly lacked authorization for dives exceeding 100 feet in depth.

Tour operator Albatros Top Boat has denied approving any dive beyond the permitted limit.

The company’s lawyer, experienced diver Orietta Stella, is traveling to the Maldives to personally oversee the recovery efforts.

“I want to understand what happened to these poor people, and I want to follow the recovery of their bodies closely,” Stella said.