An injured US explorer trapped more than 1,000 metres deep in a Turkish cave for eight days has been transported 300m toward the surface, rescuers have said.
Mark Dickey, 40, reported falling sick on 2 September while exploring the Morca Cave in southern Turkey's Taurus Mountains with an international team.
Mr Dickey fell ill at a depth of 1,120m and has been resting at a base camp 1,040m underground.
He was moved by rescuers on a stretcher, over a period of ten hours yesterday.
He is now at a depth of 700m and "has a horizontal but narrow passage between him and the campsite" where he can rest before continuing the journey up, the Turkish Caving Federation said on X, formerly Twitter.
An international team of medics and explorers as well as Turkish rescue workers were launched Tuesday and have given Mr Dickey blood infusions and first aid.
The Morca Cave is Turkey's third deepest, according to the federation, running to a maximum depth of 1,276m.
Rescuers have said it could take several days to safely bring Mr Dickey out.
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