A major rescue operation is underway in Turkey's Taurus Mountains to bring out US researcher and explorer Mark Dickey who fell seriously ill nine days ago while some 1,000 meters from the entrance of one of the world's deepest caves.
How Did Dickey Get Himself into the Cave?
The 40-year-old from Croton-on-Hudson, New York, was exploring Morca Cave to map it for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association when he was struck with severe stomach bleeding on September 2. Several people were also with him inside the cave, including three other Americans, the Associated Press reported.
Morca is Turkey's third deepest cave, and a very complex system with many steep vertical shafts and a few horizontal sections, making Dickey's rescue challenging.
As his health deteriorated deep inside the cave, dozens of emergency medical specialists from the US and all over Europe rushed to the cave to help rescue the people inside.
In particular, a Hungarian doctor rushed inside to administer treatment to Dickey at the scene as early as September 3 to stabilize his condition, with multiple teams of medical rescuers assisting him in turns as they progressed out of the cave.
Several medical camps were also set up along the tunnel to provide assistance and resting spots as he was being extracted.
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Rescuer in Need of Rescue
Dickey, himself an experienced cave rescuer as per his organization, the European Association of Cave Rescuers, has been assisted by teams of international rescuers who by Monday (September 11) had brought him to about 180 meters from the surface, with the hopes of having him out in a few hours from this report being published.
"Mark is the guy that should be on that rescue mission that's leading and consulting," said Justin Hanley, a 28-year-old firefighter from near Dallas, Texas, who met Dickey during a cave rescue course the researcher taught in Hungary and Croatia, "and for him to be the one that needs to be rescued is kind of a tragedy in and of itself."
Meanwhile, National Cave Rescue Commission coordinator Gretchen Baker, who also knew Dickey for over a decade, wished him the best as his cave rescue skills were put to the test with him as the victim.
"Because of his experience teaching and doing these rescues, he understands exactly what is ahead of him," she said, adding that while it was not easy being in the stretcher, Dickey personally knows some of the rescuers from Europe.
In response to the quick action of his fellow cave rescuers Dickey expressed gratitude to what he called his very closely-knit caving community.
"The caving world is a really tight-knit group and it's amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface," he said. "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."
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