Il Nuovo Postiglione - Trapped US explorer nears rescue from deep Turkish cave

NYSE - LSE

RBGPF	3.74%	75.92	$
CMSC	0.13%	23.12	$
SCS	-0.31%	16.15	$
RYCEF	-1.43%	14.71	$
GSK	1.42%	39.36	$
AZN	0.88%	79.17	$
BCE	0.94%	25.61	$
NGG	-0.18%	71.43	$
RELX	0.56%	47.96	$
RIO	0.33%	61.24	$
BCC	-0.73%	85.99	$
CMSD	0.22%	23.34	$
VOD	0.26%	11.67	$
BTI	-0.47%	57.15	$
JRI	0.62%	13.36	$
BP	0.55%	34.33	$

Trapped US explorer nears rescue from deep Turkish cave

THINGS TO KNOW 11.09.2023

Trapped US explorer nears rescue from deep Turkish cave / Photo: HANDOUT - TURKISH DIRECTION OF COMMUNICATION/AFP

A US explorer trapped for more than a week deep in a Turkish cave with internal bleeding could be pulled to safety as early as Monday night, rescuers said.

Text size:

Mark Dickey, 40, developed stomach problems on September 2 while exploring the depths of the Morca Cave, a remote complex of narrow underground tunnels in southern Turkey's Taurus Mountains.

The Morca Cave is Turkey's third-deepest, according to the county's caving federation. It's lowest point is 1.3 kilometres (0.8 miles) below ground.

Dickey fell ill at a depth of 1,120 metres (695 feet), sparking what organisers said was one of the largest and most complicated underground rescue operations ever mounted.

An international team of rescuers, fellow explorers and medics is now trying to bring Dickey to a base camp 180 metres below the surface.

He has been strapped to a stretcher, which sometimes needed to be lifted vertically by rope through particularly narrow passageways.

"The rescue operation will continue from minus 180 metres after Mark has rested at the camp here for a while," the Turkish Caving Federation said.

"If everything goes well, the aim is to rescue Mark completely by tonight or tomorrow."

Officials said Dickey's health was improving thanks to emergency treatment by medics who raced to reach him underground.

"He is in good health in general. He continues to be fed with liquids," Cenk Yildiz, the head of the local branch of Turkey's emergency response service, told reporters late on Sunday.

"We have resolved his stomach bleeding issues with plasma and serum support."

In a video recorded on Wednesday, Dickey thanked the Turkish government for its help.

"The quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I needed, in my opinion saved my life," Dickey said.

D.Campanella--INP

Featured

Fight to save last forests of the Comoros unites farmers, NGOs

Strips of bare land scar the lush and green mountainsides towering above Mutsamudu, the capital of the Indian Ocean island of Anjouan.

Terence Stamp: from arthouse icon to blockbuster villain

Whether starring as a road-tripping transgender woman in "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", an intergalactic supervillain in "Superman" or a mysterious beauty in "Theorem", Terence Stamp, who died Sunday at 87, captivated audiences in experimental films and Hollywood blockbusters alike.

Terence Stamp, Superman villain and 'swinging sixties' icon, dies aged 87: UK media

British actor Terence Stamp, who perfected the role of the brooding villain and starred in "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", has died aged 87, UK media cited his family announcing on Sunday.

Taliban mark fourth year in power in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities marked the fourth anniversary of their takeover on Friday buoyed by Russia's first official recognition of their government, a step they hope other countries will follow.