How was Mark Dickey rescued from a cave in Turkey? The details of the rescue mission explained
The extreme caver was rescued after being trapped more than 3,000 feet underground after a one week search, an incredible and unlikely escape.
A cave explorer from the US was sensationally pulled to safety last night after more than a week trapped underground.
Mark Dickey was trapped 0.8 miles underground after developing stomach problems on 2 Sep.
“I start throwing up blood and blood is coming out in more quantity that you’re going to live with if it keeps happening… I kept throwing up blood. Then my consciousness started to get harder to hold on to and I reached a point where I said, ‘I’m not going to live’,” Dickey told reporters.
The 40-year-old had been mapping the cave when the illness struck.
The Morca caves are located in the Taurus mountains in southern Turkey and are some of the deepest in the world.
Dickey was flown by helicopter to Mersin hospital nearby and is in a good condition.
“He seems fine at first look,” Recep Salci of Turkey’s disaster and emergency management authority (AFAD) said on Tuesday, according to CNN.
A detailed map of Turkey's Morca cave system reveals the exact location where Mark Dickey is trapped(circled in red). Navigating 3,400 feet deep, the intricate pathways and chambers highlight the immense challenge ahead for rescue teams. They believe it may take days for the… https://t.co/JyMdSyVhv0 pic.twitter.com/xqvMPDvI1x
— Jesse Psota (@JessePsota) September 8, 2023
How Mark Dickey was rescued
After taking ill on 2 September, Dickey was too sick to move. It is estimated that an experienced climber would take 15 hours to climb out of the position he was in. This was increased to 57 hours because of the state he was in.
“The cave also presence challenges in that it is 39-43 F and is a fairly wet cave, with dripping water and pools,” the National Cave Rescue Commission said.
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Temporary camps were set up with doctors and rescuers to ensure that they could keep Dickey alive. Winches and ropes were fixed to haul him to safety. Explosives were used to widen the narrowest sections as Dickey was pulled out on a stretcher.
The US man who fell ill and became trapped in a cave he was exploring in Turkey spoke up from some 3,000 feet underground. Mark Dickey was on an international exploration mission in the Morca cave in the Taurus mountains when he began suffering gastrointestinal bleeding pic.twitter.com/uiYupdpu3H
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 8, 2023
Listed by depth, the Turkish rescue team was closest to the surface, followed by the Hungarians, Poles, Italians, Croats, and the Bulgarians.