American explorer trapped in Turkey cave now halfway to escape – latest

American caver Mark Dickey is about to reach -300, the Turkish Caving Federation said today on social media X.

A rescue operation to save stricken caver Mark Dickey from a 1,000m-deep cave had reached the halfway mark by Sunday afternoon.

“The stretchered patient arrived at the -500 m bivouac at 19:00h CEST (4pmET). The medical status of the casualty is stable,” the European Cave Rescue Association announced on Sunday afternoon.

“The next planned stop is at -300 m. The members of the different rescue teams are in a good physical condition.”

The fiancé of a caver who fell ill on an expedition in Turkey is assisting with a massive rescue effort to save him.

Mark Dickey’s partner and fellow caver Jessica Van Ord was with him when he began suffering gastrointestinal bleeding more than 1,000m below ground in the Morca cave complex on 2 September, according to Reuters.

Ms Van Ord remained by Mr Dickey’s side as an Italian rescue team with medical personnel reached the 40-year-old New Yorker and gave him IV fluids and blood inside the cave.

She has been staying at a base camp near the mouth of the cave, and working with the 150-strong team of cavers who have travelled to Turkey to help bring Mr Dickey out by stretcher.

Search and rescue officials have used explosives to blast open the narrowest parts of a cave in Turkey to allow a stretcher to pass in an effort to save an ill American explorer.

Mark Dickey fell sick inside the Morca cave – located in the Taurus Mountains, South Turkey, that runs to a depth of 1,276 metres, according to the country’s caving federation.

The cave is mostly wet and cold and includes tight passages in both vertical and horizontal sections, making it difficult for the rescuers to bring out the speleologist.

Apart from small explosives, rock hammers were also being used by rescuers to make way for a stretcher to ensure Mr Dickey’s safety during ascent.

A fundraiser set up for the rescue of ill American speleologist Mark Dickey has raised $58,800 so far.

“This fundraiser is started on behalf of the National Cave Rescue Commission (for whom Mark is also an instructor) and will be distributed to the rescue teams to cover the logistical costs of aiding him out of the cave,” the description on the GoFundMe page read.

In an update on 9 September, the fundraisers added that the money will be “put to good use towards the travel, food, gear and supplies that the rescuers have needed”.

Teams from Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy and Poland are working to create a path out of the cave system, The Independent’s Ariana Baio explains.

The Morca cave system descends through various, very narrow, twists, turns and rappels – making it a difficult exploration for any person in good health. The underground equivalent of the cave is like climbing Mount Everest.

“It takes a full 15 hours for an experienced caver to reach the surface in ideal conditions,” the Speleological Federation of Turkey said.

To tackle the issue, the team of international experts has divided up the depths of the cave and assigned it to a specific team to figure out a solution for that specific area.

At multiple very narrow spots, a demolition team will need to widen them so Mr Dickey can pass through on a stretcher. They will also need to set up several camp spots on the way up to continuously monitor Mr Dickey and give him and his team sections to rest in.

To make the matter more complicated, communication between the underground team and the surface team is limited. Runners are being used to travel from the camp where Mr Dickey is to the surface where a telephone line is to speak with officials, according to AP.

Read more of Ariana’s piece below.

Search and rescue officials could take days to bring the ill American explorer out of Turkey’s third-deepest cave.

Mr Dickey fell sick at a depth of 1,040 metres on Sunday while accompanied by an international team of explorers last week.

Recep Salci, head of AFAD’s search and rescue department, earlier said it could take up to 10 days to bring Dickey back to the surface “depending on his condition”.

Mr Dickey is being assisted by doctors with IV fluids and blood. Teams of doctors with three or four other personnel have been taking turns accompanying the caver, AP reported.

Rescuers are racing against time to save ill American caver Mark Dickey, who is stuck inside Turkey’s third-deepest cave.

The Morca cave – located in the Taurus Mountains near Anamur, South Turkey, runs to a depth of 1,276 metres, according to the country’s caving federation.

Mr Dickey fell sick at a depth of 1,040 metres while accompanied by an international team of explorers last week.

It takes about 12 hours for a caver to get down and 16 hours to climb up, according to Recep Salci, the head of search and rescue for Turkey’s disaster management authority.