A significant rescue operation to achieve a caver trapped hundreds of toes underground after changing into significantly unwell on an exploration mission will likely be "difficult" and will take days, consultants have warned.

Mark Dickey, 40, suffered gastrointestinal bleeding contained in the Morca Cave in southern Turkey, which is round 4,100ft (1,276m) deep, on Saturday.

The US nationwide fell unwell near the underside of the crevice at 3,670ft (1,120m) and was later moved to a campsite at a 3,400ft (1,040m) depth.

Medics stated Mr Dickey was unable to climb out unaided, with a "long and challenging" rescue operation launched to hold him out on a stretcher.

Mr Dickey has his fiancée and fellow caver, Jessica, at his facet, in keeping with a press release by his dad and mom, Andrew and Deborah Ann Dickey.

It takes round 15 hours for an skilled caver to achieve the floor of the Turkish cave - which incorporates slender winding passages and a number of other rappels (rope descents down very steep slopes) in ultimate circumstances.

The worldwide rescue effort is claimed to be one of many largest cave rescue operations on this planet, each logistically and technically.

It entails round 150 folks from throughout Europe together with Italy, Hungary, Croatia, and Bulgaria.

'Complex and prolonged' operation to avoid wasting fellow caver

Units of blood have been delivered to Mr Dickey to assist deal with his bleeding.

He is himself an teacher with the US National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC), who is extremely regarded within the worldwide speleological (the examine of cave exploration) group and has beforehand taken half in rescue missions.

He was co-leading an expedition to seek out and map a brand new passage within the Turkish cave, the third deepest within the nation, when he fell unwell.

In an replace on Wednesday night time, the Turkish cave consultants main the rescue operation stated Mr Dickey's situation is changing into extra secure and his bleeding has stopped.

He can now stroll with assist however it's nonetheless not potential to get him out and not using a stretcher, rescuers stated.

"The teams are continuing to set up rope lines inside the cave to remove the stretcher," the replace, posted at 10.30pm native time (8.30pm GMT), stated.

"The removal of Mark is expected to begin in the next few hours."

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'Devastatingly scary state of affairs'

Sky News' US companion, NBC News, studies that Mr Dickey's household stated in a press release: "Mark is strong, but he needed his fellow cavers, including, of course, the doctors, to allow a devastatingly scary situation to turn positive.

"Our prayers are being answered and we can't categorical how a lot meaning, and can at all times imply, to us."

A fundraising marketing campaign has additionally been launched by the NCRC to boost cash for the efforts to rescue Mr Dickey, which has thus far raised $41,000 of its $100,000 goal.

Content Source: information.sky.com