Trapped US explorer nears rescue from deep Turkish cave

He has been strapped to a stretcher, which sometimes needed to be lifted vertically by rope through particularly narrow passageways.

“The rescue operation will continue from -180m after Mark has rested at the camp here for a while,” the Turkish Caving Federation said.

“If everything goes well, the aim is to rescue Mark completely by tonight or tomorrow.”

Officials said Dickey’s health was improving thanks to emergency treatment by medics who raced to reach him underground.

“He is in good health in general. He continues to be fed with liquids,” Cenk Yildiz, the head of the local branch of Türkiye’s emergency response service, told reporters late on Sunday.

“We have resolved his stomach bleeding issues with plasma and serum support.”

In a video recorded on Wednesday, Dickey thanked the Turkish government for its help.

“The quick response of the Turkish government to get the medical supplies that I needed, in my opinion saved my life,” Dickey said.