2023-09-07 22:01:18
More than 150 rescuers continued this Thursday the rescue operation of an American speleologist who suffered internal bleeding while exploring a cave more than a thousand meters deep in Turkey.
The country’s Caving Federation said more than 150 Turkish and foreign rescuers were trying to reach Mark Dickey, who suffered gastrointestinal bleeding in the depths of the Morca cave, near the Turkish Mediterranean coast.
“The operation is logistically and technically one of the largest cave rescues in the world,” the federation said in a statement.
Collapse at 1,000 meters depth
Dickey, 40, fell ill on Sunday at a depth of 1,120 meters, accompanied by an international team of 13 explorers who reported the situation, according to the AFAD emergency agency.
He was placed under observation at a base camp 1,040 meters underground, where he was given an infusion of blood delivered by rescuers and doctors, added the federation, which launched the rescue operation on Tuesday with the help of AFAD and the European Association. Cave Rescue Agency (ECRA).
“Mark’s condition is stabilizing,” the federation said. “His bleeding has stopped and he can walk with help, but he cannot get out without a stretcher.”
The difficulty is precisely lowering the stretcher and then raising Dickey, but the federation specified that “Mark’s extraction should begin in the next few hours.”
Dickey will be taken to a temporary camp 700 meters deep.
Morca Cave is the third deepest in Turkey, according to the federation, with a maximum depth of 1,276 meters.
Rescuers said this operation could take several days.
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