An American explorer from Westchester County who was trapped in a Turkish cave for more than a week was rescued early Tuesday morning, officials announced.
Mark Dickey – who fell ill on September 2 more than 3,000 feet below the Morca cave entrance on Mount Taurus in southern Turkey – was carried out on a stretcher and given first aid once rescuers reached the surface, the Turkish Speleological Federation said in a statement.
“He is fine and is being treated by emergency medical workers at the upper camp,” the speleological association said of Dickey, a Croton-on-Hudson resident.
Dickey, who suffered stomach bleeding, was too weak to pull himself out of the Morca cave so rescuers across Europe rushed to help the 40-year-old, who is an experienced cave explorer.
“The fact that our son, Mark Dickey, has been evacuated from Morca Cave in a stable condition is a huge relief and fills us with incredible joy,” his parents Debbie and Andy said in a statement.
The statement said he emerged from the cave at 12:37 a.m. Tuesday local time.
Dickey had to be carried on a stretcher to safety. AP
Dickey was first treated by a Hungarian doctor who contacted him on September 3 as doctors and rescuers took turns treating him.
After the famed cave explorer received IV fluids and blood, doctors decided he was ready for the daring climb.
Dickey was too weak to extricate himself from the cave.HALA TURKEY COMMUNICATION/AFP via Getty Images
The rescue is an international effort with about 190 experts from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey helping.
Dickey, head of the New Jersey Early Response Team, was mapping the 4,186-foot-deep cave system for the Anatolian Speleological Group Association.
The group previously said he began his underground mission with others on August 31.
While still stranded in the cave, he sent a video message expressing his appreciation.
“The cave world is a very close-knit group and it’s amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface,” he said last week.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
