Trapped cave explorer shares emotional video amid rescue efforts

An American researcher trapped in a cave in southern Türkiye has shared a video update on his condition, as rescue efforts continue. Mark Dickey was taken ill with stomach bleeding during an expedition through a cave in the country’s Taurus Mountains. He received medical assistance but remains trapped in the cave, 3,400 feet below the surface. His expedition crewmates have stayed with him, and are relaying wire messages to the surface from a camp further up. In the video, released by Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications, Dickey was up and alert, but said that he was ‘not healed on the inside yet, so I’m going to need a lot of help to get out of here.’ He thanked everyone involved in the rescue effort, as well as the Turkish government, who arranged his emergency medical care. Dickey will now need to be moved from the cave on a stretcher, with the rescue team hoping this can begin on Saturday or Sunday. Experts warn, however, that the operation could take days or even weeks, depending on conditions.