Race to save American caver who fell ill 3,000ft deep in Turkish cave could be underway soon

The rescue is likely to be delicate, complex and could take days to complete, as ITV News Reporter Amy Lewis explains

An American researcher who fell ill around 3,000ft below the entrance of a cave in Turkey is now well enough to be extracted in what could be a four-day operation, officials have said.

Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old experienced caver, suddenly became ill six days ago with stomach bleeding during an expedition with a handful of others in the Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains.

Rescuers from across Europe have rushed to the cave for an operation to save him, including a Hungarian doctor, who managed to reach and treat Mr Dickey.

On Friday, it emerged the caver is now well enough to be rescued - but he still remains ill, and the operation could prove complicated.

"The doctors we sent down were very successful in treating him," Cenk Yildiz, a regional official from Turkey’s disaster relief agency, told the IHA news agency.

Officials cleared to help Mr Dickey begin their descent 3000ft deep into the cave

"We are now in a position to evacuate him."

"This is a difficult operation... It would take a (healthy) person 16 hours to come out.

"This operation will last at least three or four days,” Mr Yildiz continued.

"Our priority is health... Our aim is to conclude this operation without anyone coming under any danger."

Late on Thursday, members of Italy’s National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Team, including at least a doctor and a nurse, joined rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey.

A helicopter was on standby near the entrance of the cave, Turkish media reports said.

Mr Dickey was seen standing and moving around in a video message from inside the cave that was made available by Turkish authorities on Thursday.

He said while he is alert and talking, he is not "healed on the inside" and will need a lot of help to get out of the cave.

In the message, he also thanked the caving community and the Turkish government for their efforts.

"The caving world is a really tight-knit group and it’s amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface," said Mr Dickey.

"I do know that the quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I need, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge."

The New Jersey-based cave rescue group that Mr Dickey is affiliated with said he had been bleeding and losing fluid from his stomach, but he has now stopped vomiting and has eaten for the first time in days.

It was not clear what caused the medical issue.

Doctors were expected to decide whether he will need to leave the cave on a stretcher or if he can leave under his own power.

The New Jersey Initial Response Team said the rescue will require many teams and constant medical care inside the cave, which is also quite cold.

The researcher was on an expedition mapping the 1,276-meter (4,186-foot) deep Morca cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association when he ran into trouble about 1,000 meters down, according to Yusuf Ogrenecek of the Speleological Federation of Turkey.

He initially became ill on September 2, but it took until the morning of September 3 to notify others who were above ground.

More than 170 people, including doctors, paramedics and experienced cavers, are involved in the rescue operation.

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