US explorer freed from one of Turkey's deepest caves

An explorer stuck in Turkey's third deepest cave for more than a week has been rescued.

The efforts to save US caver, Mark Dickey involved more than 150 people in what has been described as one of the largest and most complicated underground rescues ever.

He had to be freed from the cave after he became unwell on 2 September.

The cave, known as Morca Cave in southern Turkey's Taurus Mountains, is nearly a mile deep underground at its lowest point.

'A difficult cave'

The entrance to the Morca Cave

Mark Dickey, a cave explorer with 20 years of experience, had been co-leading a team to map a new passage in the cave when he began to suffer from stomach problems.

A number of rescue workers from several other countries, including Croatia and Hungary, flew to Turkey to help with the rescue.

Mr Dickey's fiancée, Jessica Van Ord, also helped. She had stayed in the cave with him while he was unwell but later climbed out.

Rescuers carried Mark Dickey on a stretcher

His condition improved once rescuers reached the explorer and were able to give him medical help before he was strapped to a stretcher and slowly carried out.

Zsofia Zador, a Hungarian doctor, said it was her first "big rescue for me as a doctor".

"This is quite a difficult cave because there are some small narrow passages and the shafts are quite muddy so it is not the easiest," she added.

Mark Dickey has been caving for more than 20 years

Mr Dickey praised the efforts to get him medical help, saying: "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."

Mr Dickey's parents Debbie and Andy Dickey said their son's rescue was "indescribably relieving" and filled them with "incredible joy".

Ibrahim Olcu, a Turkish caver from Istanbul, helped with the rescue and said: "We are cavers before everything."

Explaining that the depth and difficulty of the cave meant that other cavers needed to help in the rescue, he added: "A caver does not have a rescuer other than another caver.

"To work in the rescue operation for another caver was very honourable, pleasing. I am experiencing this happiness."