US explorer Mark Dickey rescued from Turkish cave after nine-day ordeal

• Mark Dickey was rescued from a Turkish cave.
• Dickey suffered stomach issues in Morca Cave.
• Dickey’s health is improving after plasma and serum treatment.

On Tuesday, an international rescue team successfully rescued American explorer Mark Dickey, who had been trapped deep within the narrow tunnels of a Turkish cave for nine days due to internal bleeding.

According to the Turkish Caving Federation, Mark Dickey was safely extracted from the cave’s last exit, marking the successful conclusion of the cave rescue operation.

Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old explorer, experienced stomach problems while exploring the Morca Cave, an intricate underground network located in Turkey’s Taurus Mountains. This cave is the third deepest in Turkey, extending to a depth of nearly 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) below the surface.

Dickey fell ill when he was 1,120 meters (3,695 feet) deep into the cave, triggering one of the most extensive and complex underground rescue efforts ever conducted. This operation involved a team of 200 rescuers, fellow explorers, and medical personnel. They initially administered blood infusions to Mark Dickey before carefully securing him to a stretcher, which had to be maneuvered vertically at times through the cave’s extremely narrow passages.

The rescue teams occasionally took breaks, ascending to the surface before returning underground to continue the challenging operation.

“We congratulate all those who contributed,” the Turkish Caving Federation said.

Dickey’s health improving

According to officials, Dickey’s health has been progressively getting better for a few days.

“He is in good health in general. He continues to be fed with liquids,” according to Cenk Yildiz, the regional director of Turkey’s emergency response agency, who spoke to reporters late on Sunday.

“We have resolved his stomach bleeding issues with plasma and serum support.”

Dickey expressed his gratitude to the Turkish government for its assistance in a video taken on Wednesday.

“The quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I needed, in my opinion, saved my life,” Dickey said.

Dickey was described by the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) as an accomplished explorer with a background in medicine.

The New York native is a “well-known figure in the international speleological community, a highly trained caver, and a cave rescuer himself,” according to the ECRA.

“In addition to his activities as a speleologist, he is also the secretary of the ECRA medical committee and an instructor for cave rescue organisations in the USA.”

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