Rescue operation to extract US researcher from Turkish cave can begin soon

American caver Mark Dickey became ill during the expedition (Turkish Government Directorate of Communications via AP)

An American researcher who fell ill around 3,000ft below the entrance of a cave in Turkey has recovered sufficiently enough to be extracted in an operation that could last three or four days, a Turkish official said.

Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old experienced caver, became suddenly ill with stomach bleeding during an expedition with a handful of others in the Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains.