Mark Dickey, American trapped in Turkish cave, rescued

An American trapped in a Turkish cave for more than a week was rescued early Tuesday, authorities said.

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Mark Dickey, 40, an experienced caver, became trapped in the Morca Cave, the country’s third deepest, on Sept. 2 after experiencing stomach bleeding, the BBC reported. He was on a mission to map the cave, according to The Associated Press.

“It is amazing to be above ground again,” Dickey said.

In a statement, the Speleological Federation of Turkey said that Dickey was removed from the cave at 12:37 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

“Mark Dickey is out of the Morca cave. He is fine and is being tended to by emergency medical worker(s) in the encampment above,” the federation said in a statement. “Thus, the cave rescue part of the operation has ended successfully. We congratulate all those who have contributed!”

Dickey was too frail to climb out of the cave by himself, so rescuers carried him with the help of a stretcher, according to the AP.

In a statement, the caver’s parents, Debbie and Andy Dickey, said they were relieved and elated.

According to the AP, Dickey’s parents said that their son’s release “in stable condition is indescribably relieving and fills us with incredible joy.”

“Mark is strong and we believe in his strength, but fully knew that he was in dire need of tremendous and immediate support,” the Dickeys said. “Our prayers have been, and are, being answered and it is hard to express the magnitude of thanks we have for the international caving community.”

Dickey entered the cave on Aug. 31, ABC News reported. He became ill about 3,400 feet beneath the surface.

Dickey was first treated by a Hungarian doctor who descended into the cave on Sept. 3, according to the AP. Doctors and rescuers took turns caring for him.

More than 150 people were involved in efforts to rescue Dickey, the BBC reported. Doctors, paramedics, experienced cavers and other experts from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey assisted in the rescue, according to the AP.

The Morca cave, a remote complex of narrow underground tunnels in the Taurus mountains, is located in southern Turkey, according to The Guardian. It descends to a depth of eight-tenths of a mile underground at its deepest point.

A rescue team carried Dickey on a stretcher through a rest camp about 1,000 feet beneath the surface, ABC News reported. They rested in the area until rescue teams managed to bring him to the surface.

Dickey was exploring with his fiancée, NBC News reported, citing Carl Heitmeyer, public information officer for the New Jersey Initial Response Team, where Dickey serves as team leader.