Rescue teams are working to recover an American researcher after he suddenly became ill while 3,000 feet deep inside a cave in Turkey.

Mark Dickey (40 years old) was on an exploratory trip last week with his colleagues in Murka Cave, located in the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey, when he started vomiting unexpectedly due to stomach bleeding. He was unable to leave on his own, prompting the expedition leaders to seek international assistance, the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA). He said in a statement Released Thursday.

Recovery teams, doctors and paramedics came from all over Europe to help Dickie and get him out, mobilizing 190 people from 8 countries who came to help the cave expert, according to the Associated Press.

“Rescue missions at this depth are very rare, very difficult and require many highly experienced rescuers,” ECRA said in the statement.

After receiving help from doctors and paramedics, Cave Rescue Bulgaria came to the rescue He said on Thursday That Dickie’s health was better and he was able to walk on his own.

Members of the European Cave Rescue Association (ECRA) work next to the entrance to Murga Cave near Anamur, southern Turkey, Thursday, September 7, 2023. (Mithat Unal/Dia Images via AP)

Now, the task of removing it presents another challenge depending on the trajectory of his condition. If his gastrointestinal illness worsens, rescue teams may need to bring the researcher in on a stretcher — a “labor-intensive” process that could take 10 days, Rajab Salsi, head of AFAD’s search and rescue department, told the AP.

in the videoIn the photo obtained by Reuters from inside the cave on Wednesday, Diki appeared upright, thanking the response teams and the efforts of the Turkish government, saying, “You saved my life.”

“The cave world is a really tight-knit group, and it’s amazing to see how many people have responded on the surface,” he said.