Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, or AFAD, plans to use a helicopter to fly him back and will have health teams waiting, Şalcı said.
Dickey had been bleeding and vomiting, but he no longer is, said Dr. Tulga Şener, medical coordinator at the rescue commission of Turkey’s caving federation.
Dickey was given units of blood, and there are more units at the camp where he is, “but it seems there is no need now,” Şener said. There is also a doctor and paramedic with Dickey in the cave, he said.
As part of the effort to get remove Dickey, a couple of medical encampments are inside the cave, Şener said.
Dickey said in the video dated Wednesday that he’s “doing well.” He thanked the cavers who are assisting and the Turkish government.
“I look forward to working with everyone to safely get myself out with their assistance,” he said. “As you can see, I’m up, I’m alert, I’m talking, but I’m not healed on the inside yet, so I’m going to need a lot of help to get out of here.”
There were 116 rescuers on the site Thursday, Şalcı of AFAD said, and 28 were working inside the cave.
The Morca cave is over 4,100 feet deep.
Officials at U.S. European Command in Germany told NBC News on Friday that they were “tracking the incident, are in communication with the U.S. Embassy in Türkiye regarding the situation,” but added that at this time, the U.S. Department of Defense “has not received an official request for support to the rescue effort.”
Aziz Akyavas reported from Mersin Province and Phil Helsel from Los Angeles.
