The American caver Mark Dickey, who was stranded hundreds meter in a deep cave in Turkey for many days and became ill has been rescued by emergency teams who worked since Saturday. He had been suffering from a serious gastrointestinal bleeding. He was treated by doctors inside the cave and will spend now a time in a hospital in Turkey. He declared it was “amazing to be above ground again.” Dickey is an instructor with the National Cave Rescue Commission in the U.S. He started caving in the 1990s and has caved in 20 different states in the US, and in 10 different countries.
His case was difficile and at least 200 aid workers were mobilised in the international rescue operation to save him. Organisers say it was one of the largest and most complicated underground rescues ever mounted. The lowest point of the Morca Cave reaches nearly 1.3km (0.8 miles) below ground. Navigating through tight rock tunnels was necessary and explosives had to be used. Mr Dickey said he thought he would not survive the ordeal after his condition worsened. Mr Dickey’s fiancee, Jessica Van Ord, had remained in the cave to assist him when the rescue began.
