Teams in Turkey Try to Rescue Sick American From Underground Cave

Emergency groups are attempting to rescue a 40-year-old American man who fell sick whereas greater than 3,000 ft underground throughout an expedition in southern Turkey, the European Cave Rescue Affiliation stated Thursday.

The affiliation acquired an preliminary report of the sickness on Saturday, and it quickly turned clear that the person, Mark Dickey, himself a cave professional and rescuer, had gastrointestinal bleeding and was unable to go away the cave on his personal, it stated in a press release.

The affiliation stated the rescue from the Morca Collapse southern Turkey could be difficult given how deep Mr. Dickey was.

“Rescue missions from such deepness are very uncommon, extraordinarily tough and wish many very skilled cave rescuers,” it stated.

However the Speleological Federation of Turkey stated Thursday that Mr. Dickey’s situation had improved and that he may be capable to depart the cave on his personal.

“Mark is getting higher,” the federation wrote on X, previously generally known as Twitter. “Docs will resolve whether or not it’s doable for him to come back out with out a stretcher.”

Medical groups from Hungary and Bulgaria managed to achieve Mr. Dickey and different members of his expedition within the cave, arrange a tent and provides him medical care, in accordance with the federation. Rescuers from Italy, Croatia and Poland have been additionally working within the cave, it stated.

On Wednesday, the federation stated that rescue groups were working at different levels of the cave to arrange a line so Mr. Dickey may very well be taken out on a stretcher if vital.

The Morca Cave is the third-deepest in Turkey, with a depth of 4,186 ft, or 1,276 meters, in accordance with the Turkish federation.

The European Cave Rescue Affiliation stated Mr. Dickey was a extremely skilled caver and a widely known determine within the worldwide group of speleologists, or cave specialists, who had participated in lots of expeditions world wide.

He’s additionally a senior member of the European Cave Rescue Affiliation’s medical committee, and an teacher for cave rescue organizations in america, in accordance with the assertion.