This Saturday, Turkish teams and several European countries began the evacuation of American speleologist Mark Dickey, trapped for days about a thousand meters deep in the Morca cave in southern Turkey, who fell seriously ill with a stomach ailment.
Dickey fell ill nine days ago at a depth of about 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) from the entrance to one of the deepest caves in the world. The spelunker, an experienced cave rescuer, is being assisted by teams of international rescuers who on Monday had taken him to within 300 meters (almost 1,000 feet) of the surface.
Dickey, a 40-year-old accomplished cave explorer from Croton-on-Hudson, New York, was 1,040 meters (3,412 feet) from the entrance to Morca Cave on an expedition when he suffered a severe stomach hemorrhage on September 1. .
There were several others with him, including three other Americans, on the mission to map the 1,276-meter (4,186-foot)-deep cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association.
In dangerous conditions, experienced doctors, paramedics and speleologists from Turkey and all over Europe rushed to his rescue.
A Hungarian doctor went to treat him at his place on 3 September. Doctors administered intravenous fluids and 4 liters of blood while he was still inside the cave in an attempt to stabilize his condition and pave the way for his recovery. Teams made up of a doctor and three or four other rescuers took turns staying by his side at all times.
The European Association of Cave Rescuers has described Dickey as “a highly trained caver and cave rescuer” and a well-known cave researcher. He is the secretary of the association's medical committee. "Mark is the person who should be on that rescue mission, leading and consulting, and for him to be the one who needs to be rescued is kind of a tragedy in itself," said Justin Hanley, a 28-year-old firefighter.
Morca Cave, in the Taurus Mountains of southern Turkey, is the third deepest in the country and is a very complex system with many steep vertical shafts and some horizontal sections.
The biggest challenges rescuers face are steep vertical stretches and navigating through mud and low-temperature water on horizontal stretches. Experts have said there is also the psychological cost of staying inside a dark, damp cave for long periods of time.
Temporary medical camps have been set up along the tunnel to provide assistance and resting places while Dickey is gradually extracted from the cave. It was also necessary to re-equip the tunnel with new ropes and lay a communication line.
Some narrow passages in the cave had to be widened while Dickey was carried up on a stretcher. Gretchen Baker, national coordinator of the US-based National Cave Rescue Commission, who has known Dickey for more than 10 years, said his experience as a rescuer will help him now as a rescued patient.
"Because of his experience teaching and performing these rescues, he understands exactly what to expect," Baker said, adding that while it's not easy being strapped to the stretcher, Dickey personally knows some of the rescuers from Europe who have come to help him. . "He also knows that the people who are rescuing him are top notch," he said. "They are very good cave rescuers."
Carl Heitmeyer of the New Jersey Initial Response Team said Monday that Dicked had passed the 300-meter mark and was heading to 180 meters for a brief stop. “At -180m you will receive regular medical evaluation and treatments. Then it will continue to the surface,” Heitmeyer said, adding that he could emerge from the cave later on Monday or Tuesday.
After his initial treatment at depth, doctors gave the go-ahead for surgery to begin bringing Dickey to the surface on Saturday after assessing that he was well enough to be moved. The American was first lifted from his location to a camp 700 meters from the surface and then to a level of 500 meters.
The operation involves stops so Dickey can recover at several medical camps that have been set up along the way. Italy's National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Service said Monday that Dickey recognized some sections of the cave and reacted positively, understanding that she is approaching the exit.
Some 190 troops from Turkey and eight countries are helping in the rescue efforts: Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Poland, Albania and the United States. More than 150 of them are experts in the field of search and rescue.
Last week, Dickey thanked the caving community and the Turkish government for their efforts in a video message from inside the cave. "The spelunking world is a tight-knit group and it's amazing how many people have responded on the surface," Dickey said.
“I know that the Turkish government's quick response to get the medical supplies I need, in my opinion, saved my life. “I was very close to the limit.”
