Rescue begins of ailing US researcher stuck 3,000ft inside Turkish cave

A Turkish officer walks next to the Morca cave during a rescue operation near Anamur, south Turkey (Khalil Hamra/AP)

Rescue teams have begun the arduous process of extricating an American researcher who became seriously ill while he was 1,000 metres (3,000ft) below the entrance of a cave in Turkey, an official from the country’s disaster management agency said.

It could take days to bring Mark Dickey to the surface since rescuers anticipate he will have to stop and rest frequently at camps set up along the way as they pull his stretcher through the narrow passages.