Bulgarian medics accompanied American speleologist Mark Dickey while he was pulled out from the cave in Turkey after trapped there for days

After more than a week of arduous efforts, rescuers pulled out the American scientist who was trapped in a deep cave in Turkey. Rescuers from seven countries, 19 of them Bulgarians, took part in the complex and large-scale operation.

It was a Bulgarian team that brought down banks of blood for the researcher who fell seriously ill at a depth of thousand metres and became too frail to make his way out. A Bulgarian doctor and paramedic accompanied Mark Dickey as he was carried out of the cave on a stretcher, Henri Hazdai from the Cave Rescue Association, whose representatives took part in the complicated operation, told BNT on September 12.

Sighs of relief after the successful end of the rescue operation - 30 minutes after midnight, local time. American caver Mark Dickey has been pulled from the Morca Cave after surviving the last 10 days at a depth of more than a thousand metres.

"It's amazing to be above ground again. I was underground longer than expected with an unexpected medical problem. All I could think in the cave was - am I going to live? The Turkish government's reaction was swift. What to say? They saved my life," said Mark Dickey.

Nineteen Bulgarian rescuers have been involved in the complex operation, along with 150 other people from seven countries.

"Two people, a doctor and a paramedic, from the Bulgarian team accompanied the stretcher through a very large part of the cave," said Henri Hazdai, a member of the Cave Rescue Association's board.

While the operation was underway, Dickey suffered a stomach hemorrhage. Although at such a depth, a medical team descended to him to give him a blood transfusion. This task was entrusted to the Bulgarian team from the Cave Rescue Association.

"The complicated thing in the whole action was the huge depth from which the victim had to be pulled out - it's more than a thousand metres, it's a kilometre down through many steep sections and extremely technical passages to pass. The Bulgarian participation was at the very arrival, as the Bulgarian team was the second to respond to the rescue operation. The main task was to get blood down to the scientist, banks of blood so that they could be transfused. The other thing that was in the Bulgarian team's portfolio was the construction of the underground telephone line to contact the surface. It's just over 500 metres, it had to be built from scratch," said Henri Hazdai.

Dilek Deniz Duman, a 21-year-old student from Ankara, says she held back her emotions during the operation itself, but they were unleashed when Dickey was pulled out.

"I made an effort, but when I saw him I cried with happiness. I hugged his fiancée Jessica, and spoke to Mark himself. Seeing that he was okay made me happy. So I cried, it was nice."

The European Cave Rescue Association expressed its huge gratitude to everyone who contributed to the happy outcome.

"It was an honour to take part in a rescue operation for another caver," said Ibrahim Olcu, a student from Istanbul.

Mark Dickey, 40, is a member of an international research team exploring Morca Cave in southern Turkey, which is the third deepest cave in the country. His condition is now stable and he was flown by helicopter to a Turkish hospital where he is recovering.

Images by BTA