Rescuers race to free American trapped in Turkish cave

Rescue teams are quickly trying to help an American man who got sick while stuck in the third-deepest cave in Turkey, according to the Turkish Caving Federation.

Around 150 rescuers are working together to save Mark Dickey, who got stuck while doing research in Morca Valley, according to the Turkish Caving Federation. The plan to save or help people was first told to people on Monday.

The Turkish Caving Federation said on X (formerly known as Twitter) that during an exploration mission in the Morca Sinkhole, which is the 3rd deepest cave in Turkey with a depth of 1,276 meters (4,186 feet), a caver named Mark Dickey from America got sick at a depth of 1,120 meters (3,675 feet). He was taken to a camp located at a depth of 1,040 meters (3,412 feet) for observation.

The federation gave six units of blood to Dickey, who is believed to have bleeding in the stomach or intestines. The report said that he is stable and can walk by himself.

In a video posted by Turkey’s communication department on Wednesday, Dickey mentioned that he was feeling fine.

He said he was almost about to die, but the Turkish government acted quickly and saved his life.

You can see that I am awake, aware, and able to talk. “But I still feel emotionally hurt, so I will need a lot of assistance to leave this place,” said Dickey.

Even though they were deep underground, Dickey thought that the situation was a chance for the caving community to show how strong they were.

“I want to see a lot of people from different countries all coming together,” Dickey said. “We look after our own people. ”

Bulent Genc, the leader of the federation, said to CNN on Thursday that it might take many days to rescue people from the cave because it is very deep and narrow. Dickey will need to be moved a little bit in order to be put on a stretcher, Genc said.

Caving rescue workers from different countries have come to Turkey to help with the operation. These include rescuers from Hungary, Italy, Croatia, and the United States.

The Turkish Caving Federation said that the cave has small twisted paths and rappelling spots. They also mentioned that it takes an experienced caver 15 hours to get out of the cave under perfect conditions.

Gretchen Baker, from the National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC), knows and has worked with Dickey for a long time. She has been talking to the rescue team and is cautiously optimistic that Dickey will come out of the cave safely.

During an interview with CNN’s Isa Soares, Baker mentioned that the people working there are pleased because it seems like Mark is getting better. This means he might not need a rescue litter for the whole journey back.

She said that if he can offer more help, the rescue will be completed faster.

Even though Dickey’s health is getting better, Baker said that the rescue operation still has a long way to go, even with his help.

“She said it will probably take several days to rescue him from the cave. ”

According to the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA), performing a rescue mission at such a deep location is not common and is very hard. It requires a lot of highly skilled cave rescuers.

The organization got a phone call on Saturday saying that Dickey was having really bad stomach pain.

On Sunday, a group of people from the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service, including a doctor, went down into the cave and put up a tent to give important medical treatment, according to the ECRA.

On Monday, a group of 17 people, including a doctor and a paramedic from Bulgaria’s rescue team, arrived at the cave’s base location.

On Wednesday, teams from Italy, Croatia, and Poland were going to the base camp.