International aid workers are on their way to Mark Dickey. The US researcher has been stuck in a Turkish cave for almost a week. The extraordinary rescue operation is expected to take at least another few days.
It is a barren mountain landscape in the Taurus Mountains around 100 kilometers east of the tourist hotspot Alanya. An Italian cave team in full gear with carabiners, ropes and helmets says goodbye to the mountain at a depth of around 1,000 meters. Mark Dickey has been trapped there for six days. The 40-year-old had a gastrointestinal bleed during an expedition in the Morca Cave, the third deepest in Turkey, and was no longer able to climb out on his own. A Hungarian rescue team reached him just one day later.
“We brought a doctor and medical supplies down. Thanks also for the blood. We were able to treat him with it. Mark is feeling much better because of it.” He receives six blood units. Dickey’s condition then stabilized. He also speaks out in the video from the cave. “As you can see, I’m awake, I can talk. But I have internal injuries. So I’m going to need a lot of help to get out of here.”
This team set out to rescue the US researcher Dickey.
Days of climbing expected
There are now not only Italian and Hungarian teams on site, but also one from Croatia, Poland – and also Turkey. Normally, getting out of this depth of the Morca Cave takes around 16 hours, according to experts. Now they expect it to take three to four days.
It is said that the cave had to be widened in some places so that a stretcher could fit through. Experts have laid cables for communication. A Turkish speleologist explains the problematic areas while the water runs down the rock walls next to him. It’s below ten degrees Celsius. When Dickey speaks, you can see his breath in the cold air. He wears a thick red down jacket and a headlamp.
“I was pretty close to death”
“The caving world is really close-knit, and it’s amazing how many people responded on the surface,” says Dickey. He doesn’t know exactly what happened – but that the “quick reaction of the Turkish government” for medical care saved his life: “I was pretty close to death.”
According to the Turkish Caving Association, logistically and technically it is one of the largest cave rescues in the world. Around 150 rescuers are on duty. “This is a very complex cave rescue operation,” says Dinko Novosel, head of the European Cave Rescue Association. “And it’s not over yet.”
Only when the victim has been taken out of the cave and taken to the hospital can one say that the rescue operation was successful. “So far, there is no case in the world where we have carried out such a large rescue operation from a cave. The scale of this cave rescue is the challenge.”
The victim got stuck at a depth of around 1,000 meters.
Outcome uncertain
Dickey, who comes from the US state of New Jersey, is considered an experienced cave explorer who is also a cave rescuer himself. In the video he thanks the Turkish government. The last words in the video visibly move him: “I think this is a great opportunity for speleology to show how well you can work together internationally.” He hopes that he will see many people from different countries: “We take care of our own people. And that’s really something special.”
He knows he still has a difficult road ahead of him. If everything goes smoothly, Dickey should see daylight again on Tuesday or Wednesday. But some experts also speak of several weeks.