The American speleologist who fell ill eight days ago more than a thousand meters deep in a chasm in Turkey was brought up to 500 meters below the surface by rescuers, the Turkish Speleology Federation announced on Sunday September 10 (formerly Twitter). Mark Dickey, 40, suffered an abdominal hemorrhage while exploring the Morca cave system (South) with an international team.
His transport on a stretcher began shortly before 3:30 p.m. Saturday. It had been transported to a temporary camp located 700 meters below the surface during the night from Saturday to Sunday, before being moved again on Sunday morning.
Mark Dickey, who was 1,120 meters deep when he fell ill, had been placed under observation in a camp located a thousand meters below ground, after a call for help launched on Saturday September 2, according to the European Speleological Rescue Association.
Blood bags
Bags of blood were administered to him for transfusion, and 150 Turkish and foreign rescuers went to the site for the evacuation operation. On Wednesday, the American explained in a video, pale-skinned and warmly dressed, that he needed “serious help” to return to the surface.
Morca Chasm is the third deepest cave in Türkiye. It is located on the Taseli Plateau, in a difficult-to-access mountainous region of Mersin province.
