AN INJURED US explorer trapped more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) deep in a Turkish cave for eight days has been transported 300 meters toward the surface, rescuers said today. 

Mark Dickey, 40, reported falling sick September 2 while exploring the Morca Cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains with an international team.

Dickey fell ill at a depth of 1,120 metres and has been resting at a base camp 1,040 metres underground.

He was moved by rescuers on a stretcher, beginning just before 3:30 pm (1230 GMT) Saturday over a period of ten hours.

He is now at a depth of 700 metres and “has a horizontal but narrow passage between him and the campsite” where he can rest before continuing the journey up, the Turkish Caving Federation said on X, formerly Twitter.

The US man who fell ill and became trapped in a cave he was exploring in Turkey spoke up from some 3,000 feet underground. Mark Dickey was on an international exploration mission in the Morca cave in the Taurus mountains when he began suffering gastrointestinal bleeding pic.twitter.com/uiYupdpu3H

— Reuters (@Reuters) September 8, 2023

An international team of medics and explorers as well as Turkish rescue workers were launched Tuesday and have given Dickey blood infusions and first aid.

The Morca Cave is Turkey’s third deepest, according to the federation, running to a maximum depth of 1,276 metres.

Rescuers have said it could take several days to safely bring Dickey out.

© Agence France-Presse