Mark Dickey: Injured US explorer trapped in Turkey cave progresses towards surface, rescuers say

An injured US explorer trapped more than 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) deep in a Turkish cave for eight days has been transported 300 meters toward the surface, rescuers said on Sunday.

Mark Dickey, 40, reported falling sick on 2 September while exploring the Morca Cave in southern Turkey's Taurus Mountains with an international team.

Dickey fell ill at a depth of 1,120 metres and has been resting at a base camp 1,040 metres underground.

He was moved by rescuers on a stretcher, beginning just before 15:30 local time (12:30 GMT) on Saturday over a period of 10 hours.

He is now at a depth of 700 metres and "has a horizontal but narrow passage between him and the campsite" where he can rest before continuing the journey up, the Turkish Caving Federation said on social media platform X, formerly called Twitter.

An international team of medics and explorers as well as Turkish rescue workers were launched on Tuesday and have given Dickey blood infusions and first aid.

The Morca Cave is Turkey's third deepest, according to the federation, running to a maximum depth of 1,276 metres.

Rescuers have said it could take several days to safely bring Dickey out.