Photo: LUCA SOLA / AFP / Getty Images
Rescuers from all over Europe began an operation to save an American researcher in Turkey, who was trapped nearly 3,280 feet below a cave entrance after suffering a stomach hemorrhage.
Rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey are participating in the operation to get it out of the depths.
Experienced spelunker Mark Dickey, 40, suddenly fell ill while on an expedition with a handful of people, including three other Americans, in the Morca cave in the Taurus Mountains of southern Turkey, according to the European Association of Cave Rescuers.
Despite the emergency, Dickey has already had communication with the teams and thanked the caving community and the Turkish government for their efforts.
“The spelunking world is a tight-knit group and it’s amazing how many people have responded on the surface,” Dickey said.. “I know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get me the medical supplies I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the limit.”
Dickey, who is seen standing and moving in a video he recorded himself, said that although he is alert and talking, he is not “healed on the inside” and will need a lot of help to get out of the cave. Experts said the rescue operation could take days or even weeks depending on conditions.
Dickey, who had been bleeding and leaking stomach fluid, stopped vomiting and ate for the first time in days, according to a New Jersey-based cave rescue group with which he is affiliated. It is not clear what caused his medical problem.
Dinko Novosel, a Croatian cave rescuer who heads the European Association of Cave Rescuers, said it will be a challenge to successfully rescue Dickey, Currently more than 170 people participate, including doctors and paramedics who attend them, as well as experienced speleologists.
*With information from CNN.