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15 September 2023
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US scientist trapped 1 000m deep in Turkish cave rescued after more than a week
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A dramatic and complex international rescue operation to save an American man from one of Turkey’s deepest caves ended successfully. US researcher Mark Dickey was rescued from the Turkish cave, more than a week after he fell ill 1000 metres below its entrance, the Speleological Federation of Turkey says. Teams from across Europe had rushed to Morca Cave in southern Turkey's Taurus Mountains to aid 40-year-old Dickey, who became seriously ill on 2 September 2023 with stomach bleeding.
Dickey was too frail to climb out so rescuers carried him with the help of a stretcher, making frequent stops at temporary camps set up along the way.
The American was first treated by a Hungarian doctor who went down the cave on 3 September 2023. The cause of Dickey's illness was not clear.
How the cave rescue operation was carried out
The rescue operation involved doctors, paramedics and experienced cavers from across Europe who came rushing to help.
They set up small medical base camps at various levels along the shaft, providing Dickey an opportunity to rest during the slow and arduous extrication.
Turkish authorities said there are 190 personnel from eight countries taking part in the operation, 153 of them search and rescue experts.
The most challenging part of the rescue operation was widening the narrow cave passages to allow stretcher lines to pass through at low depths, Yusuf Ogrenecek of the speleological federation previously said.
Mark Dickey's video message from the cave
In a video message from inside the cave and made available last Thursday by Türkiye's communications directorate, Dickey thanked the caving community and the Turkish government for their efforts.
"Hi. Mark Dickey from nearly a thousand metres," Dickey said. "The caving world is a really tight-knit group and it's amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface. We're still waiting for communications actually to reach down here. So right now it's a day or two days of travel for information to get back and forth. I don't quite know what's happened, but I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge."
Communication with Dickey took about five to seven hours and was carried out by runners, who went from Dickey to the camp below the surface where a telephone line to speak with the surface had been set up.
The New Jersey group, a cave rescue group Dickey is affiliated with, said the cave is cold - about 4-6C.
The group described Dickey as "a highly trained caver and a cave rescuer himself" who is well known as a cave researcher, or speleologist, from his participation in many international expeditions. He is secretary of the association's medical committee.
Sources: SBS News
Dickey was too frail to climb out so rescuers carried him with the help of a stretcher, making frequent stops at temporary camps set up along the way.
The American was first treated by a Hungarian doctor who went down the cave on 3 September 2023. The cause of Dickey's illness was not clear.
How the cave rescue operation was carried out
The rescue operation involved doctors, paramedics and experienced cavers from across Europe who came rushing to help.
They set up small medical base camps at various levels along the shaft, providing Dickey an opportunity to rest during the slow and arduous extrication.
Turkish authorities said there are 190 personnel from eight countries taking part in the operation, 153 of them search and rescue experts.
The most challenging part of the rescue operation was widening the narrow cave passages to allow stretcher lines to pass through at low depths, Yusuf Ogrenecek of the speleological federation previously said.
Mark Dickey's video message from the cave
In a video message from inside the cave and made available last Thursday by Türkiye's communications directorate, Dickey thanked the caving community and the Turkish government for their efforts.
"Hi. Mark Dickey from nearly a thousand metres," Dickey said. "The caving world is a really tight-knit group and it's amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface. We're still waiting for communications actually to reach down here. So right now it's a day or two days of travel for information to get back and forth. I don't quite know what's happened, but I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge."
Communication with Dickey took about five to seven hours and was carried out by runners, who went from Dickey to the camp below the surface where a telephone line to speak with the surface had been set up.
The New Jersey group, a cave rescue group Dickey is affiliated with, said the cave is cold - about 4-6C.
The group described Dickey as "a highly trained caver and a cave rescuer himself" who is well known as a cave researcher, or speleologist, from his participation in many international expeditions. He is secretary of the association's medical committee.
Sources: SBS News
