Poltics
An American researcher has been rescued from a cave in Turkey – more than a week after he fell critically ill more than 1,000m (3,280ft) below its entrance.
Mark Dickey, an skilled caver, was on an expedition to map Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains when he became critically ill on 2 September with stomach bleeding.
The Speleological Federation of Turkey said he had left the cave after middle of the evening local time and the rescue mission “has ended efficiently”.
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Rescue effort to free US man in Turkey cave
Teams from across Europe rushed to the cave – the third deepest in Turkey – when the 40-year-customary became too frail to climb out himself and carried him with the assist of a stretcher, making frequent stops at temporary camps scrape up along the way.
Following his rescue, the caver described the ride as a “crazy, crazy adventure”.
“It is amazing to be above ground again,” Mr Dickey said, as he praised the rescue operation.
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Mark Dickey: ‘Amazing to be above ground again’
On Tuesday, Mr Dickey described having to throw up large quantities of blood.
At one level he did now not contemplate he was “going to dwell” after his consciousness was waning.
Parents filled with ‘fantastic pleasure’
A statement from Mark’s parents, Andy and Debbie Dickey, said the fact their son “has been moved out of Morca Cave in stable situation is indescribably relieving and fills us with fantastic pleasure”.
The American was first treated for the duration of the cave by a Hungarian physician who went down on 3 September prior to diverse physicians and rescuers took turns caring for him.
The rescuers faced steep vertical sections and had to navigate thru mud and water at low temperatures within the horizontal sections.
They also had to deal with the psychological toll of staying interior a dark and damp cave for prolonged durations of time.
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Mark Dickey sends video message from cave
Around 190 experts along with medical doctors, paramedics and skilled cavers from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey took part within the rescue.
Teams of a physician and three to four diverse rescuers took turns staying by Mr Dickey’s facet at all instances.
The rescue began on Saturday after medical doctors, who had administered IV fluids and blood, clear Mr Dickey may probably make the arduous ascent.
Sooner than the evacuation may probably originate rescuers had to widen a few of the cave’s narrow passages, install ropes to drag him up vertical shafts on a stretcher and scrape up temporary camps along the way.
Mr Dickey, from Croton-on-Hudson, Sleek York, appeared in a video on Thursday, but said he was now not “healed on the within” and wished a lot of assist to catch out of the cave.
He’s an teacher with the US National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC) and is highly regarded within the international speleological (the gape of cave exploration) community and has previously taken part in rescue missions.