2023-09-08 14:07:18
In one of Turkey’s deepest caves, more than 200 helpers from six countries are busy bringing the sick American cave explorer Mark Dickey to the surface. According to experts, the complex rescue operation from a depth of more than 1,000 meters will take several days, possibly more than a week. “As soon as the doctors give approval, the transport will begin,” said the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) late on Thursday evening.
The ECRA was informed at the weekend that the forty-year-old had suffered a severe gastrointestinal bleeding during an expedition in the Morca Cave in southern Turkey and was unable to leave the cave on his own. In a video posted on Tiktok on Thursday, the veteran researcher says: “The Turkish government’s quick response to get me the medical help I needed saved my life.”
Rescue operations from this depth are considered extremely difficult
At first it took one to two days to exchange information with helpers on the surface. On Friday, the Turkish Caving Association announced that a telephone line had been laid. Dickey’s health has stabilized. Doctors would have to decide whether he had to be pulled out of the cave on a stretcher, which would take longer, or whether he could move independently.
“Rescues from this depth are very rare, extremely difficult and require the support of many very experienced cave rescuers,” says the ECRA website, which has taken over the coordination. “A particular challenge lies in the administrative process that must be advanced by numerous authorities at the international level before the start of the operation.”
Published/Updated: Recommendations: 6 Johanna Dürrholz Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 12
A Hungarian team with a doctor was the first to arrive in the Morca Cave last Sunday, set up a tent in the depths and provided intensive medical assistance. Helpers from Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia and Poland are taking part in the rescue operation. Among other things, they are busy widening narrow passages in the steep cave descent and tensioning additional ropes for rescue.
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