Mark Dicky, a scientist from the USA, who was part of the team consisting of 4 US, 4 Turkish, 4 Romanian and 1 Hungarian citizens conducting research in the Morca Cave in the Sugözü Mahallesi of Anamur district under the organization of the Association of Anatolian Speology Group (ASPEG). He suffered from stomach discomfort at a depth of 1,40 meters.
Dicky's teammates reported the situation to the authorities and asked for help. AFAD, AKUT and UMKE teams were dispatched to the region. Dicky, who was contacted by the teams, stated that he was using his medication and was in good condition, and withdrew his request for help. However, the teams continued their work to reach Dicky as a precaution. Professional cavers, including doctors, came to the region. Doctors descended on the area where Dicky was located. Dicky, whose treatment started at a depth of 140 meters, was given 4 units of blood. Responding positively to the treatment administered, Dicky stood up.
As the evacuation started from the cave, AFAD Search and Rescue Department Head Recep Şalçı made a statement to the journalists. Şalcı said that the work in the region was going well and that Dickey recovered with treatment.
Stating that they are making preparations for evacuation, Şalcı said, "The patient is in a condition to be evacuated today. While the treatment continues, we also laid the communication lines and rescue systems. In caving, a 1000-meter deep place is a difficult job. The rescue in this cave is one of the 5 most difficult rescues in the world. Very serious experience. We are working under the coordination of AFAD with a total of 196 cave search and rescuers from 8 countries in Europe. Our goal is to start the evacuation today. This is not very fast, it will be gradually because the condition of the patient will determine our speed. In some places we will rest, in others we will accelerate. The cave is very narrow and complicated. It is a structure. Therefore, the evacuation may take a long time. We hope that we will complete the evacuation in 3-4 days," he said.
Hungarian Rescue Team Coordinator Miklos Nyerges said that the work continues intensively.
