The American explorer from Westchester County trapped in a Turkish cave for more than a week was rescued early Tuesday morning, officials announced.
Mark Dickey — who fell ill on Sept. 2 more than 3,000 feet below the entrance of the Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountain — was carried out on a stretcher and given first aid once rescuers reached the surface, the Speleological Federation of Turkey said in a statement.
“He is fine and is being tended to by emergency medical workers in the encampment above,” the speleological federation said of Dickey, a Croton-on-Hudson resident.
Dickey, who was suffering from stomach bleeding, was too weak to pull himself out of the Morca cave so rescuers across Europe rushed to aid the 40-year-old who is an experienced cave explorer.
“The fact that our son, Mark Dickey, has been moved out of Morca Cave in stable condition is indescribably relieving and fills us with incredible joy,” his parents Debbie and Andy said in a statement.
The statement said he exited the cave at 12:37 a.m. on Tuesday local time.
Dickey was first treated by a Hungarian doctor who reached him on Sept. 3 as doctors and rescuers took turns tending to him.
After the well-known cave researcher received IV fluids and blood, doctors decided he was prepared for the daring ascent.
The rescue was an international effort with about 190 experts from Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey helping out.
Dickey, the chief of the New Jersey Initial Response Team, was mapping out the 4,186 foot deep cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association.
The group previously said he began his underground mission with others on Aug. 31.
While still stranded in the cave, he sent a video message expressing his appreciation.
“The caving world is a really tight-knit group and it’s amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface,” he said last week.
With Post wires
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