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An American cave rescuer has himself been stuck in a cave since Saturday, after falling ill while traveling in Turkey.
More than 150 rescuers are involved in the “complex” operation to save Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old instructor for the National Cave Rescue Commission. He began suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding during a research mission in the Morca Cave, located in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains.
Dickey, described as “a highly trained caver and a cave rescuer,” was part of a team attempting to locate and chart a new passage through the cave, which is the third-deepest in Turkey, according to the Turkish Caving Federation. He is currently inside, roughly 3,400 feet from the entrance, and is able to walk with assistance now that his bleeding has stopped.
Six units of blood have since been delivered to him, according to the federation, which is leading the rescue efforts. His condition is currently stable and he is able to walk on his own.
Yusuf Ogrenecek of the Speleological Federation of Turkey, said Dickey was in “good spirits” Thursday, adding that it would be up to doctors to decide if he leaves the cave on a stretcher or under his own power.
The federation is reportedly coordinating in tandem with Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, part of the government’s Interior Ministry, which now has teams on standby waiting to assist the rescue efforts.
News of Dickey’s dire situation first came Saturday, when the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service said it received a call explaining that a caver inside the nearly 4,100-foot deep cave was ill and needed assistance.
On Wednesday, rescuers were setting up rope lines to prepare for his extraction. Meanwhile, Dickey is being treated by doctors and is with his fiancée, Jessica, who is also a caver, according to statement given by his parents Andrew and Deborah Ann Dickey.
“Mark is strong, but he needed his fellow cavers, including, of course, the doctors, to allow a devastatingly scary situation to turn positive,” they said. “Our prayers are being answered and we cannot express how much that means, and will always mean, to us.”
The rescue is still expected to take several more days, said Gretchen Baker, the national coordinator for the National Cave Rescue Commission.
The Turkish Caving Federation said it would typically take around 15 hours for an experienced caver to reach the surface.
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Evan Rosen, Jessica Schladebeck
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