US climber who fell ill inside cave under treatment

MERSIN

A U.S. citizen who experienced gastrointestinal bleeding while descending Morca Cave, one of Türkiye’s deepest caves, received medical treatment inside the cave.

The condition of the mountaineer, who was part of the team descending to Morca Cave located in the southern province of Mersin's Anamur district and had a stomach bleed there, has improved and initial treatment was applied at a depth of 1,200 meters inside the cave, local media reported.

Geophysical Engineer Turgay Gönülalan, a member of the research team descending in the cave, gave information about both their research and the health condition of the citizen, Marck Dick.

“We have a study which has been carried out since 2012. Every year there is a joint work of foreigners and Turks. There are currently 21 people in the team. This study will continue until the inside of the cave is completely mapped out," he said.

Referring to the illness of the climber, Gönülalan said that had he continued to bleed out from his stomach, the consequences could have been dire. “The necessary intervention was timely and teams from elsewhere in Türkiye as well as from Hungary came to help us. Blood will be transferred from Anamur in case a need for an urgent blood transfusion arises. In fact, many of our friends from Italy, Bulgaria and Türkiye will be here for a few days in case of any urgent situation. I am optimistic, Marck will come out on his own in a couple days. We hold a meeting three times a day and inform the search and rescue units about the developments.”

Last week, a research team including foreigners descended into Morca, the third deepest cave in the country. Marck Dick, a member of the team descending into the cave, had a gastrointestinal bleeding at about 1,200 meters down.

AFAD, UMKE and gendarmerie teams were dispatched to the region upon notification. It was stated that the mountaineer was given fluids and medication through an IV.