Westchester County man trapped 3,000 feet down in Turkish cave
ISTANBUL -- Rescuers are rushing to save a Westchester County man who is trapped in a cave in Turkey.
It's believed the experienced caver is too sick to make it out on his own, prompting one of the largest logistical and technical rescue operations in the world.
Mark Dickey, 40, is an experience caver, but after getting sick he is trapped inside a cave in the southern part of the country. Rescuers from across Europe have reached him, but now comes the tough job.
"As you can see I'm up, I'm alert, I'm talking," Dickey said.
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But he is still deep inside the earth, 3,000 below, while suffering from life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding. He had been mapping out a cave system.
"I'm not healed on the inside yet, so I'm going to need a lot of help to get out of here," Dickey said.
With Dickey unable to climb out, more than 150 rescuers rushed in, bringing blood and medical supplies.
"I don't quite know what's happened, but I do know that the quick response by the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I needed, in my opinion, saved my life. I was very close to the edge," Dickey said.
Rescuers are now crafting a plan to get Dickey out, and it could be treacherous.
Carl Heitmeyer is a friend and a cave rescuer in New Jersey.
"They're gonna have tight spots there, gonna have restrictions. They are gonna have belly crawls. It's cold. The water is 40 degrees Fahrenheit and are gonna get wet.
And that is not the only challenge rescuers will face.
"So, Mark is having some very bad stomach issues, which means that he can't put any pressure on his stomach. So, in any of the tight spots, his stomach has to be protected," said Gretchen Baker, of the National Cave Rescue Commission.
Baker said the cave responders will also literally have to lift Dickey up in many parts of the cave, as they move to get him to safety.
"It's also, as there are many vertical pitches within the cave, rope after rope after rope. And if he gets tired, then he will have to be hauled up those sections of rope," Baker said.
The plan is for the ascent to start Friday. Heitmeyer said best-case scenario is a minimum of four days until Dickey reaches the surface. The worst-case scenario is a week, if not two.