After being trapped deep in the narrow tunnels of a Turkish cave with internal bleeding for nine days, a US explorer has been finally pulled to safety by an international team of rescuers.The explorer has been identified as 40-year-old Mark Dickey, said officials.US explorer Mark Dickey gets rescued after 9 days from Turkish cave“Mark Dickey was removed from the last exit of the cave,” the Turkish Caving Federation said, adding that the cave rescue part of the operation has ended successfully.According to the media reports, the explorer developed stomach problems while examining the depths of the Morca Cava, a remote complex of twisting underground passageways in southern Turkeys Taurus Mountains.Notably, this cave is Turkeys third-deepest, which reaches almost 1.3 km (0.3 miles) below the ground at its lowest point.How Dickey was trappedReportedly, Mark Dickey fell ill at a depth of 1,120 metres (3,665 feet), sparking what organisers said was one of the largest and most complicated underground rescue operations ever mounted.To rescue the stranded explorer, an international team of 2000 rescuers, fellow explorers and medics began to cautiously pull Dickey to safety after first giving him infusions of blood.They first strapped him to a stretcher, which sometimes needed to be lifted vertically by a rope through particularly narrow passageways.During the rescue operation, the teams pulling the ropes were taking breaks, climbing back up to the surface before returning underground.Turkish Caving Federation congratulates rescue teamsAfter the rescue of Dickey, the Turkish Caving Federation extended its gratitude to the teams, saying “We congratulate all those who contributed.”Meanwhile, the officials said that his health has been steadily improving for a few days.Speaking to the media, Cenk Yildiz, the head of the local branch of Turkeys emergency response service said, “He is in good health in general. He continues to be fed with liquids.”“We have resolved his stomach bleeding issues with plasma and serum support,” he added.Save my life: Explorer Mark Dickey thanks the Turkish governmentOn Wednesday, Dickey thanked the Turkish government for its help through a video message.“The quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I needed, in my opinion, saved my life,” Dickey said.The European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) called Dickey an experienced explorer with a medical background.Mark Dickey is a well-known figure in the international speleological community, a highly trained caver, and a cave rescuer himself, the ECRA said.
