Rescue operation underway for ill American stuck deep in Turkish cave
Rescue teams are set to begin the recue of an American explorer trapped deep inside a cave in Turkey – but evacuating him could take days officials say
"We are now in a position to evacuate him [but] this operation will last at least three or four days," Cenk Yildiz, a regional official from Turkey's disaster relief agency, said.
Mark Dickey, 40, was 3,400 feet below the surface in the Morca cave when he began suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding on Saturday.
“I was very close to the edge,” Mr Dickey said in a video obtained by The Associated Press.
Authorities in Turkey are working with a group of more than 150 international cave rescue experts to safely remove Mr Dickey from his location after he experienced the medical emergency.
Rescuers have been able to send six units of blood and doctors to Mr Dickey. While his condition has improved, he may still need a stretcher to exit.
The cave system is described as extremely narrow with many twists and turns, making it difficult to navigate. It typically takes a person in good health around 15 hours to exit.
