A collaborative effort involving Turkish and international cave rescue experts is underway to rescue an American speleologist, Mark Dickey, who is trapped at a depth of over 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) in Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains, located in the Mersin province. Dickey fell ill during an international expedition and has gastrointestinal bleeding, rendering him unable to leave the cave unaided, as reported by the European Cave Rescue Association. Notably, Dickey is an experienced caver and cave rescuer, holding the position of secretary on the association’s medical committee.
Dickey was part of an expedition tasked with mapping the 1,276-meter (4,186-foot) deep Morca cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association (ASPEG). His condition deteriorated at a depth of around 1,000 meters, according to Yusuf Ogrenecek of the Speleological Federation of Turkey.
Turkish disaster relief agency AFAD and the UMKE rescue team are collaborating with Turkish and international cavers to devise a plan to safely extract Dickey from the cave system.
The rescue association reported that Dickey’s condition has stabilized, and he is in good spirits. Medical professionals will assess whether he can be evacuated without the use of a stretcher.
The rescue mission involves more than 170 individuals, including doctors, paramedics attending to Dickey, and experienced cavers. Ogrenecek estimated that the operation could take up to two to three weeks but noted that the duration might vary depending on circumstances.
A team of rescuers from Italy’s National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Team is expected to arrive in Turkey to participate in the operation, along with around 50 rescuers stationed at the cave entrance. Hungarian, Bulgarian, Italian, Croatian, and Polish rescue teams are among those participating in the operation, each responsible for specific sections of the cave.
Efforts are being made to prepare the cave for a safe extraction, including widening narrow passages to accommodate a stretcher and addressing the risk of falling rocks.
Rescue teams aim to commence the extraction on Saturday or Sunday and anticipate that the process will span several days, with designated resting points for Dickey and the rescue teams along the way.
The Hungarian Cave Rescue Service, which was the first to reach Dickey’s location, provided emergency blood transfusions to stabilize his condition. An additional Hungarian team will join the operation.
Mountain rescuers from Poland are also contributing to the rescue efforts, emphasizing the need for adequate lighting and communication at the cave’s depth.
Dickey’s rescue has garnered international attention and is a complex operation, given the challenging cave conditions and the necessity of ensuring Dickey’s medical fitness throughout the rescue process.