After being stranded hundreds of meters underground, an American caver has been rescued by emergency workers near Anamur, Turkey. Mark Dickey had gone exploring in one of Turkey’s deepest caves reaching 3,000 feet underground and had been presumed lost for a few days.
The rescue operation was led by 200 aid workers and began their search on Saturday. The plan was to divide the cave into 7 parts and hold each country team responsible for each sector. All rescue teams traveled down to Dickey at 180 meters below surface before finding him. According to reporters on site, there was in fact a doctor with Dickey inside the cave and was communicating with the rescue teams. In addition, Dickey was receiving intensive medical care, including blood transfusions, while he was in the cave.
Rescue personnel reported that Mr. Dickey had been accompanied by two individuals when he fell ill. Meanwhile, the remaining members of the 14-person expedition were either in different parts of the cave system or waiting to enter it at that moment. Upon the rescue, Mark Dickey was sent to the hospital for evaluation.
CNN reported that “Dickey had been suffering from suspected gastrointestinal bleeding while inside the 1,276 meter deep Morca Sinkhole in Moeca Valley”, according to The Turkish Caving Federation. Dickey lives in New York and heads the New Jersey Initial Response Team stationed in Sussex County, New Jersey. According to a statement from the European Cave Rescue Association, Dickey is an experienced caver and a renowned figure within the global community of speleologists, experts in the field of caves, who has taken part in numerous expeditions across the globe. The New York Times also notes that he holds a senior position within the medical committee of the European Cave Rescue Association and serves as an instructor for cave rescue organizations in the United States.
In an article posted by CBS News, S. Dev and Ramy Inocencio stated that on Monday night, The Turkish Caving Federation removed Dickey from the cave at around noon local time in a Twitter post. The Federation had stated that “Thus, the cave rescue part of the operation had ended successfully. We congratulate all those who have contributed.”
Sources
https://apple.news/AmWE6eS3ERoOn_ej8oIr6Yg
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mark-dickey-american-explorer-rescued-cave-turkey/