National Cave Rescue Commission instructor Mark Dickey. Rescuers are attempting to reach Dickey, an American, after he fell ill inside one of the deepest caves in Turkey. Photo courtesy of Mark Dickey/Facebook
Rescuers were expected to begin the long process of freeing an American caver from one of the deepest caves in Turkey after he became ill.
Recep Salci, head of search and Rescue for Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said the crews had been cleared to begin the operation to rescue Mark Dickey. Advertisement
“With this good news, with doctors saying you can take him out now, slowly, tomorrow or the next day at the latest, we will start his rescue,” Salci said.
Dickey was co-leading an expedition in the Morca cave, the third deepest in the country when he became seriously ill some 3,000 feet, or roughly three-fourths of a mile into the cave. He was able to reach a base camp inside the cave.
While he stabilized after suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding on Saturday, rescuers said he could not climb out of the cave on his own. The cave, located in the southern portion of Turkey, is in the Taurus Mountains, consisting of numerous narrow passages and several areas that require a rappel.
Dickey reassured supporters in a video dated Wednesday, thanking the Turkish government and cavers who have traveled to help in his rescue. Advertisement
“I look forward to working with everyone to safely get myself out with their assistance,” Dickey said. “As you can see, I’m up, I’m alert, I’m talking, but I’m not healed on the inside yet, so I’m going to need a lot of help to get out of here.”
Gretchen Baker, a representative of the National Cave Rescue Commission in Huntsville, Ala., said patience will be required in the rescue because of the challenging layout of the cave.
“This will not be a quick rescue due to where he is in the cave and the challenging terrain ahead,” Baker said. “The cave rescuers on the scene are extremely talented, and many have worked in deep caves. Mark has caved in several European countries and knows some of these rescuers from other expeditions.”
Cave Rescue Bulgaria said on Facebook that the cave is divided into seven areas and different teams have taken charge of getting Dickey passed each area. They said they expect it will take up to two days to free him from the cave.
