Rescuers descend to the entrance of Morca Cave as they take part in a rescue operation to reach US caver Mark Dickey who fell ill and became trapped some 1,000 meters underground, near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Turkey, on Friday.
A US explorer trapped deep in a Turkish cave with internal bleeding said in a video released on Friday that he needed “a lot of help” getting out. Mark Dickey, 40, reported falling sick last Saturday while exploring the Morca Cave in southern Turkiye’s Taurus Mountains with an international team. Dickey fell ill at a depth of 1,120 metres and has been resting at a base camp located 1,040 metres underground. An international team of medics and explorers as well as Turkish rescue workers has been able to reach Dickey and give him blood infusions and first aid. They are also lowering stretchers and other equipment needed to delicately pull him out. In the video released by the Turkish presidency, Dickey could be seen standing up and talking clearly into the camera. “Hi, I’m Mark Dickey from nearly 1,000 metres,” he says. “As you can see, I’m up, I’m alert, I’m talking, but I’m not healed on the inside yet, so I’m going to need a lot of help to get out of here,” he says. “The quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I needed, in my opinion saved my life.” The Morca Cave is Turkiye’s third-deepest, according to the Turkish Caving Federation, running to a maxim depth of 1,276 metres.