Rescue workers pulled an American researcher out of a Turkish cave on Monday, more than a week after he became gravely ill more than 3,000 feet below its entrance, the Speleological Federation of Turkey said.
Teams from across Europe rushed to Moraca Cave in the Taurus Mountains of southern Turkey to help 40-year-old experienced caver Mark Dickie, who became seriously ill with stomach bleeding on September 2. He was on an expedition to map the cave, which is the third deepest place in the country.
Dickie was too weak to get out himself, so rescuers carried him by stretcher, making frequent stops at temporary camps set up along the way.
The American was first treated inside the cave by a Hungarian doctor who went down to the cave on September 3. After this, doctors and rescue workers took care of him one by one. The cause of Dickey’s illness was unclear.
According to experts, 40-year-old Mark Dickie, an experienced caver, started vomiting due to stomach bleeding on September 2 while he was on an expedition with some others to Moraca Cave in the Taurus Mountains of southern Turkey, which is the world’s first cave cave. It is one of the deepest mountains in the world.
A rescue operation began on Saturday afternoon, with doctors, paramedics and experienced cavers from across Europe rushing to help. They set up small medical base camps at various levels along the shaft, giving Dickie the opportunity to rest during the slow and arduous extraction.
Turkish officials said 190 personnel from eight countries were taking part in the operation, including 153 search and rescue specialists.
The most challenging part of the rescue operation was widening the narrow cave passages to allow stretcher lines to pass at lower depths, said Joseph Ogranesek of the Speleological Federation.