By: Morgan Kacalek
On September 2, the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) got a call alerting them of a man who was trapped in the Moraca cave with a serious medical condition. 40-year-old American researcher, Mark Dickey, is part of a research group exploring the Moraca cave. After descending through the cave, he suddenly fell ill and reported severe gastrointestinal bleeding.
The cave, located in the Taurus Mountain Range, reaches depths of up to 4,186 feet. It is composed of deep shafts and pits, and contains an average estimated temperature of 39 degrees Fahrenheit. After receiving word of Dicky’s condition, a rescue operation was launched and led by 200 aid workers from all over the world.
The rescue efforts were divided into seven parts, all concentrated at different depths, as the teams worked day and night on the operation. They managed to move Dicky up to 590 feet from 3,000 feet below the surface. At one point during the rescue operation, Dicky’s condition was so severe that he had to receive a blood transfusion while he was still in the depths of the cave. He was unable to eat and was being fed various liquids and medications believed to help his condition remain stable until he could exit the cave. After days of work to haul Dicky out of the cave, it has been reported that he successfully exited at 12:37 am on Tuesday, September 5.
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