Moment American researcher rescued from Turkish cave

Rescuers pulled an American researcher out of a Turkish cave early Tuesday, 12 September, more than a week after he became seriously ill 1,000 meters (more than 3,000 feet) below its entrance, the Speleological Federation of Turkey said.

Teams from across Europe had rushed to Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains to aid Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old experienced caver who became seriously ill on 2 September with stomach bleeding. He was on an expedition to map the cave, which is the country’s third deepest.

Dickey was too frail to climb out himself, so rescuers carried him with the help of a stretcher, making frequent stops at temporary camps set up along the way.

“He is fine and is being tended to by emergency medical worker in the encampment above,” said a statement by the speleological federation.