What to know about a major rescue underway to bring a US researcher out of a deep Turkish cave

By SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A major rescue operation is underway in Turkey’s Taurus Mountains to bring out an American researcher who fell seriously ill nine days ago at a depth of some 1,000 meters — or about 3,000 feet — from one of world’s deepest caves. Mark Dickey is a 40-year-old cave explorer and a cave rescuer himself. He became stricken with severe stomach bleeding on Sept. 2. There were several other people with him, including three other Americans, on the mission to map the deep cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association. Dickey is being assisted by teams of international rescuers who by Monday had brought him up a level about 300 meters, or nearly 1,000 feet) from the surface.