(LONDON) — The bulletproof train carrying Kim Jong Un arrived to its destination in Russia as the North Korean leader prepared for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, local media reported.
Kim was seen disembarking from his train and being greeted by Russian officials in Khasan in the Primorsky region in video shared by Reuters. The governor of Russia’s Primorsky region, Oleg Kozhemyako, published a video on Tuesday of Kim talking to Russian officials after his arrival in Russia.
Earlier in the day, Russian media posted a video of the green-and-gold train traveling north in Primorye, the far-east district where Vladivostok is located. The green-and-gold train in the video appeared to match images released on Monday by the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s state-run media.
The Kremlin on Monday announced that Putin would travel to Vladivostok for an economic forum. The office said the two leaders would meet in the coming days but didn’t offer specifics about the timing or location of the summit.
U.S. officials said discussions have advanced between the two countries about a possible plan for North Korea to supply weapons to Russia.
Kim’s train departed Pyongyang on Sunday, beginning its journey to Russia for a planned meeting with President Vladimir Putin, a South Korean official told ABC News.
“Our Dearest Comrade Kim Jong Un will be visiting Russia upon invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the visit he will meet Putin and hold a summit,” the Korean Central News Agency reported Monday.
South Korean officials said the train was expected to cover the about 683 miles to Vladivostok in about 20 hours, a timeline that included with a long stopover at the Russia-North Korea border, needed to switch to wheels that would fit Russian railway tracks.
Kim has rarely left North Korea since he took power in 2011. His most recently documented international trips were in 2019, a year in which he stepped over the border to visit with then-President Donald Trump and traveled via train to Russia.
When he does travel, he prefers to do so via the rails in the heavy and slow-moving bullet-proof train, as his father and grandfather did when they were in power, NPR reported.
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Joohee Cho contributed to this story.
(LONDON) — The bullet-proof train carrying Kim Jong Un crossed the border into Russia as the North Korean leader made his way to a summit with President Vladimir Putin, local media reported.
Russian media posted a video of the green-and-gold train traveling north in Primorye, the far-east district where Vladivostok is located.
The green-and-gold train in the video appeared to match images released on Monday by the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s state-run media.
The Kremlin on Monday announced that Putin would travel to Vladivostok for an economic forum. The office said the two leaders would meet in the coming days, but didn’t offer specifics about the timing or location of the summit.
U.S. officials said discussions have advanced between the two countries about a possible plan for North Korea to supply weapons to Russia.
Kim’s train departed Pyongyang on Sunday, beginning its journey to Russia for a planned meeting with President Vladimir Putin, a South Korean official told ABC News.
“Our Dearest Comrade Kim Jong Un will be visiting Russia upon invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the visit he will meet Putin and hold a summit,” the Korean Central News Agency reported Monday.
South Korean officials said the train was expected to cover the about 683 miles to Vladivostok in about 20 hours, a timeline that included with a long stopover at the Russia-North Korea border, needed to switch to wheels that would fit Russian railway tracks.
Kim has rarely left North Korea since he took power in 2011. His most recently documented international trips were in 2019, a year in which he stepped over the border to visit with then-President Donald Trump and traveled via train to Russia.
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Joohee Cho contributed to this story.
(NEW YORK) — More than 3,000 people are believed to have died in devastating floods across eastern Libya, the country’s health minister said Tuesday.
Another 10,000 people are believed to be missing, according to Tamer Ramadan, Libya envoy for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
“The death toll is huge and might reach thousands,” Ramadan said during a press briefing on Tuesday.
In just the city of Derna, the worst hit area, at least 700 people have been confirmed dead from the unprecedented flooding. Authorities have declared Derna a disaster zone, saying the city has become inaccessible as electricity and communication have been cut off.
An additional 1,200 people were injured in Derna, according to the Libyan military.
The cities of Al Marj, Susah, Shahat and Al Bayda have also recorded several fatalities.
“Entire neighborhoods have been wiped out…with their residents,” Libya’s head of military said during a press conference on Monday.
Mediterranean storm Daniel is behind the widespread flooding in the North African nation as it swept away entire neighborhoods and destroyed homes in several coastal towns over the weekend.
Libya’s National Center of Meteorology reported that more than 16 inches of rain fell in the city of Bayda within a 24-hour period to Sunday, according to the flood tracking website Floodlist.
Initial reports indicated that the storm damaged dozens of cities and villages in the area, according to Georgette Gagnon, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Libya.
“I am deeply saddened by the severe impact of [Storm] Daniel on the country and have tasked an emergency response team to prepare to support local authorities and partners in the region,” Gagnon wrote in a post on social media on Monday. “I call on all local, national and international partners to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to those affected at this difficult time.”
U.S. Special Envoy to Libya Ambassador Richard Norland announced Tuesday that the American embassy in Tripoli “has issued an official declaration of humanitarian need in response to the devastating floods in Libya.”
“The declaration of humanitarian need will authorize initial funding that the United States will provide in support of relief efforts in Libya,” Norland said in a statement. “We are coordinating with U.N. partners and Libyan authorities to assess how best to target official U.S. assistance. In addition, we have been contacted by many Libyan Americans anxious to make private contributions to relief efforts and we will work with Libyan authorities to direct those resources to where they are most needed.”
Last week, the same storm system hammered the southeastern Mediterranean, killing at least 26 people in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, according to The Washington Post.
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
Mustafa Unal Uysal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Mark Dickey, 40, had been trapped inside the Morca Cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains since Aug. 31, when he fell ill more than 3,400 feet below the surface, according to the New Jersey Initial Response Team, a group he leads.
“It is amazing to be above ground again,” Dickey told reporters after the rescue, according to Reuters. “I was underground far longer than ever expected.”
Dickey was extracted from the cave around 12:37 a.m. local time on Tuesday, the Turkish Caving Federation announced, describing the operation as “successful.”
“We congratulate all those who contributed!” the caving organization said.
As of late Tuesday morning, Dickey remains hospitalized in intensive care unit in the southern port city of Mersin for further examination and observation. He is in good condition, according to Turkish authorities.
Dickey will hold a press conference on Wednesday morning from the hospital if his health allows it, Turkish authorities said. It remains unclear when he will be able to be transferred to the United States.
Dickey told reporters he initially thought he was going to survive but as he got sicker, he began to have doubts.
“Then my consciousness started to get harder to hold on to and I reached a point where I said, ‘I’m not going to live,'” he said.
The New Jersey Initial Response Team thanked the Turkish Ministry of National Defence, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, the European Cave Rescue Association for their efforts in rescuing Dickey, as well as the cave rescuers for “their hard core caving ability,” the organization told ABC News in a statement.
Video taken from the scene showed Dickey lying on a stretcher as he was lifted through the cave 12 days after he became trapped.
A rescue team carried Dickey on a stretcher, resting in a rest area with 590 feet left before they took him the final distance.
“The fact that our son, Mark Dickey, has been moved out of Morca Cave in stable condition is indescribably relieving and fills us with incredible joy. It is, we know, an event that all involved in the extensive rescue effort worked so significantly hard for,” his parents told ABC News in a statement.
“Mark is strong and we believe in his strength, but fully knew that he was in dire need of tremendous and immediate support. We are so very thankful and grateful that the support he needed was given to him and that the first medical rescue team to arrive reached him when they did,” his parents said.
A team that includes medical staff began an evacuation late last week after his condition improved enough to move him, caving officials said. Volunteers had previously worked to clear a path to the surface.
When the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service arrived on Sunday, Dickey was in serious, life-threatening condition, officials said. Life-saving medical intervention included high doses of medication for his stomach and a blood transfusion.
Dickey’s condition improved enough for him to return to his feet following the intervention, rescuers said.
The team carrying the stretcher had passed a bivouac site about 500 meters, or 1,640 feet, below the surface on Sunday, the European Cave Rescue Association said.
“The medical status of the casualty is stable,” the association had said in a statement Sunday evening. “The next planned stop is at -300 m. The members of the different rescue teams are in a good physical condition.”
“He has not had any bleeding or vomiting for at least 2 days,” Sener said in a statement posted in Turkish on social media. “All vital signs, pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, state of consciousness, cooperation are all completely healthy.”
Dickey had been assisting in the exploration of the cave when he “suddenly became ill with intestinal problems that rapidly progressed into life-threatening bleeding and vomiting,” the New Jersey Initial Response Team said in a statement previously. Dickey serves as the leader of that group, a collection of volunteers who specialize in cave and mine rescues.
“I don’t know what to say, this is overwhelming, this is a first,” Dickey told reporters.
ABC News’ Engin Bas, Miles Cohen, Aicha El Hammar Castano, Guy Davies, Teddy Grant, Doug Lantz and Marcus Moore contributed to this report.
Mustafa Unal Uysal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(LONDON) — The evacuation of an American caver trapped underground in Turkey continued overnight, as a rescue team carrying him on a stretcher passed through a rest camp about 1,000 feet underground, international caving officials said.
Mark Dickey, 40, has been trapped underground since Aug. 31, when he fell ill more than 3,400 feet below the surface, according to the New Jersey Initial Response Team, a group he leads.
A team that includes medical staff began an evacuation late last week, after his condition improved enough to move him, caving officials said.
“The stretcher with Mark reached the level -300m,” or about 984 feet underground, the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service said in an update posted Monday morning.
The team carrying the stretcher had passed a bivouac site about 500 meters, or 1,640 feet, below the surface about 12 hours earlier, the European Cave Rescue Association said.
“The medical status of the casualty is stable,” the association had said in a statement on Sunday evening. “The next planned stop is at -300 m. The members of the different rescue teams are in a good physical condition.”
Dickey’s condition on Sunday was “very good,” according to Tulga Sener, the medical coordinator for Turkey’s Caving Federation.
“He has not had any bleeding or vomiting for at least 2 days,” Sener said in a statement posted in Turkish on social media. “All vital signs, pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, state of consciousness, cooperation are all completely healthy.”
When Dickey reaches the surface, he’s expected to be examined at the scene by Turkish and foreign doctors, rescue officials said on Sunday. He’ll then be flown via helicopter to a nearby hospital.
Dickey had been assisting in the exploration of the cave when he “suddenly became ill with intestinal problems that rapidly progressed into life-threatening bleeding and vomiting,” the New Jersey Initial Response Team said in a statement announcing the his situation. Dickey serves as the leader of that group, a collection of volunteers who specialize in cave and mine rescues.
The evacuation of Dickey was expected to be hindered by narrow passages “just big enough to crawl through,” the group said. Demolition teams had been working to enlarge the path so his stretcher could reach the surface.
(SEOUL, South Korea) — A train presumed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un departed Pyongyang on Monday, beginning its journey to Russia for a planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a South Korean official told ABC News.
The leader of the secretive country will pay an official state visit to Russia in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Monday.
Putin on Monday began a two-day trip to Vladivostok, a port city near eastern Russia’s border with North Korea, where he’ll attend an economic forum, Russia’s TASS news agency said.
Kim’s train also appeared to be “heading towards” Vladivostok, the South Korean official said.
Discussions “are actively advancing” between Kim and Putin over a possible plan for North Korea to supply weapons to Russia, a U.S. official told ABC News last week.
Such a deal would be “another indication of how desperate Mr. Putin is,” said John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council.
“But if they move ahead, then there will be additional repercussions for North Korea,” Kirby said. “The international community and the United States will look for ways to hold them accountable for that.”
Kim, who took power in 2011, attended a military parade on Sunday marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean state, the government-run Korean Central News Agency reported.
The leader had met on Friday with a delegation visiting North Korea from China, a sit-down with “an atmosphere of deep comradeship,” KCNA reported.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Ben Gittleson, Shannon K. Crawford, Selina Wang and Tanya Stukalova contributed to this story.
(MARAKECH, Morocco) — A rare and powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night and killed at least 1,037 people in the country’s strongest quake in more than a century, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake had 6.8-magnitude when it hit at 11:11 p.m. locally, with shaking that lasted several seconds. Morocco’s National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network measured it at 7 on the Richter scale. The U.S. agency reported a 4.9-magnitude aftershock hit 19 minutes later.
Marrakech has a population of almost a million people, a popular tourist destination known for its historic palaces. Marrakech hosted the 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
President Joe Biden on Sunday expressed his “sadness by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Morocco” and said the United States is committed to providing the country with all “necessary assistance.”
During remarks in Vietnam, Biden said the United States is working to make sure Americans in Morocco are safe.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Morocco and my friend King Mohammed VI,” Biden said. “We’re working expeditiously to ensure American citizens in Morocco are safe, standing ready to provide any necessary assistance to the Moroccan people as well. We made that offer. “
Sep 10, 1:07 PM EDT
Death toll rises to 2,122, thousands more injured
At least 2,122 people are dead following Friday’s massive earthquake, according to the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces.
Al-Haouz province, where the epicenter was located, suffered the highest number of deaths, followed by the province of Taroudant.
In the village of Amizmiz, some areas have been entirely wiped out, local TV reported. The Red Cross warned that it could take years to repair the damage.
At least 2,421 are injured, officials said.
Sep 09, 5:46 PM EDT
Death toll surpasses 2,000
The death toll in the earthquake near Marrakech has surpassed 2,000, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry.
At least 2,012 people were killed, mostly in Marrakech and five provinces near the epicenter, officials said. At least 2,059 people were injured — including 1,404 critically — officials said.
Sep 09, 11:11 AM EDT
Algeria offers to open its airspace to Morocco following deadly quake
Algeria has offered humanitarian aid and has offered to open its airspace to allow eventual humanitarian aid or medical evacuation flights in and out of neighboring Morocco as the death toll continues to rise.
The country, which is bordered by Morocco to the west, closed the airspace when its government severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021 over a series of issues. The countries have a decades-long dispute involving the territory of Western Sahara.
Algeria said it is ready to offer humanitarian aid “in solidarity with the brotherly Moroccan people, in case the authorities of the Moroccan kingdom express a wish for this,” Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s office said in a statement Saturday.
The statement also offered condolences for the dead and “deepest compassion” for the injured.
Sep 09, 6:32 AM EDT
President Biden issues written statement on Morocco earthquake
President Biden said in a written statement that he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Morocco.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by this terrible hardship,” the president said. “My administration is in contact with Moroccan officials. We are working expeditiously to ensure American citizens in Morocco are safe, and stand ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Moroccan people. The United States stands by Morocco and my friend King Mohammed VI at this difficult moment.”
Sep 09, 6:29 AM EDT
Casualty numbers climb as search and rescue operations continue
The number of casualties in the Moroccan earthquake has risen as search and rescue operations to find survivors continued on Saturday afternoon.
The Moroccan Interior Ministry confirmed that at least 820 people have died and 672 people have been injured.
Sep 09, 4:17 AM EDT
At least 632 people dead, another 329 injured
At least 632 people are dead and another 329 people have been injured in the earthquake that hit Morocco late Friday night, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry on Saturday morning. The casualties were mostly in Marrakech and the five provinces near the quake’s epicenter. Authorities expect these numbers to rise as the search continues and rescuers reach remote areas.
Sep 09, 1:44 AM EDT
UN says it is ‘ready to assist’ as US embassy issues safety alert
The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, said he is “profoundly saddened” after learning of the earthquake that took place in Morocco late Friday night, according to a statement issued by the UN Saturday morning.
“The Secretary-General was profoundly saddened to learn of the earthquake that hit Morocco today which claimed many lives,” the statement read. “The Secretary-General expresses his solidarity with the government and people of Morocco in these difficult times. He addresses his most sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured. The United Nations is ready to assist the government of Morocco in its efforts to assist the impacted population.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. embassy in Morocco urged Americans to “exercise caution for the next 24 hours in case of additional earthquakes or aftershocks” and to “adhere to police instructions regarding road closures or traffic disruptions.”
Sep 09, 1:35 AM EDT
Powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Morocco
At least 296 people were killed Friday night when a 6.8-magnitude struck Marrakech, Morocco, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry.
The quake struck within the Moroccan High Atlas Mountain range, roughly 75 km (46 miles) southeast of Marrakech, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
It was the strongest earthquake to hit that region in more than a century, according to the USGS.
Mustafa Unal Uysal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(ANAMUR, Turkey) — The evacuation of an experienced American caver and researcher who fell ill more than 3,000 feet below the entrance of a cave in Turkey has begun, according to the New Jersey Initial Response Team, the organization he works with.
Turkish officials announced Friday that Mark Dickey, 40, had recovered sufficiently enough to be extracted in an operation that could last three or four days.
Rescuers from across Europe have rushed to the cave for an operation to save Dickey, who became suddenly ill with stomach bleeding during an expedition with a handful of others in the Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains.
“The doctors we sent down were very successful in treating him,” Cenk Yildiz, a regional official from Turkey’s disaster relief agency, told the IHA news agency. “We are now in a position to evacuate him.”
“This is a difficult operation. It would take a (healthy) person 16 hours to come out. This operation will last at least three or four days,” Yildiz continued. “Our priority is health. Our aim is to conclude this operation without anyone coming under any danger.”
More than 170 people, including doctors, paramedics and experienced cavers, are involved in the rescue operation.
The European Cave Rescue Association said Saturday that Dickey’s medical status was stable. A blood analysis device has been delivered to him to enable blood testing.
“Preparations are being made on the stretcher evacuation route to a further bivouac prepared at -700 m,” the statement said.
The cave was being prepared for Dickey’s safe extraction, including passages being widened and the danger of falling rocks being addressed, according to the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service and other officials.
“Patient Mark Dickey is being moved towards the entrance. This is a very difficult, deep and muddy cave. Some of the vertical climbing gear used by rescue cavers is wearing out and needs to be replaced,” Carl Heitmeyer, public information officer for the New Jersey Initial Response Team, said Saturday.
Dickey fell ill on Aug. 31 while on an exploration of the Morca cave and has been unable to return to the surface, according to the New Jersey Initial Response Team. Dickey is the chief of the group, which specializes in cave and mine rescue, as well as an instructor for the National Cave Rescue Commission.
The expert caver was helping lead an international caving expedition when he started suffering intestinal problems “that rapidly progressed into life-threatening bleeding and vomiting,” the New Jersey Initial Response Team said in a statement.
(MARAKECH, Morocco) — A rare and powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night and killed at least 1,037 people in the country’s strongest quake in more than a century, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake had 6.8-magnitude when it hit at 11:11 p.m. locally, with shaking that lasted several seconds. Morocco’s National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network measured it at 7 on the Richter scale. The U.S. agency reported a 4.9-magnitude aftershock hit 19 minutes later.
Marrakech has a population of almost a million people, a popular tourist destination known for its historic palaces. Marrakech hosted the 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Sep 09, 11:11 AM EDT
Algeria offers to open its airspace to Morocco following deadly quake
Algeria has offered humanitarian aid and has offered to open its airspace to allow eventual humanitarian aid or medical evacuation flights in and out of neighboring Morocco as the death toll continues to rise.
The country, which is bordered by Morocco to the west, closed the airspace when its government severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021 over a series of issues. The countries have a decades-long dispute involving the territory of Western Sahara.
Algeria said it is ready to offer humanitarian aid “in solidarity with the brotherly Moroccan people, in case the authorities of the Moroccan kingdom express a wish for this,” Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s office said in a statement Saturday.
The statement also offered condolences for the dead and “deepest compassion” for the injured.
Sep 09, 6:32 AM EDT
President Biden issues written statement on Morocco earthquake
President Biden said in a written statement that he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Morocco.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by this terrible hardship,” the president said. “My administration is in contact with Moroccan officials. We are working expeditiously to ensure American citizens in Morocco are safe, and stand ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Moroccan people. The United States stands by Morocco and my friend King Mohammed VI at this difficult moment.”
Sep 09, 6:29 AM EDT
Casualty numbers climb as search and rescue operations continue
The number of casualties in the Moroccan earthquake has risen as search and rescue operations to find survivors continued on Saturday afternoon.
The Moroccan Interior Ministry confirmed that at least 820 people have died and 672 people have been injured.
Sep 09, 4:17 AM EDT
At least 632 people dead, another 329 injured
At least 632 people are dead and another 329 people have been injured in the earthquake that hit Morocco late Friday night, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry on Saturday morning. The casualties were mostly in Marrakech and the five provinces near the quake’s epicenter. Authorities expect these numbers to rise as the search continues and rescuers reach remote areas.
Sep 09, 1:44 AM EDT
UN says it is ‘ready to assist’ as US embassy issues safety alert
The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, said he is “profoundly saddened” after learning of the earthquake that took place in Morocco late Friday night, according to a statement issued by the UN Saturday morning.
“The Secretary-General was profoundly saddened to learn of the earthquake that hit Morocco today which claimed many lives,” the statement read. “The Secretary-General expresses his solidarity with the government and people of Morocco in these difficult times. He addresses his most sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured. The United Nations is ready to assist the government of Morocco in its efforts to assist the impacted population.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. embassy in Morocco urged Americans to “exercise caution for the next 24 hours in case of additional earthquakes or aftershocks” and to “adhere to police instructions regarding road closures or traffic disruptions.”
Sep 09, 1:35 AM EDT
Powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Morocco
At least 296 people were killed Friday night when a 6.8-magnitude struck Marrakech, Morocco, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry.
The quake struck within the Moroccan High Atlas Mountain range, roughly 75 km (46 miles) southeast of Marrakech, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
It was the strongest earthquake to hit that region in more than a century, according to the USGS.
(NEW YORK) — Mark Dickey, a 40-year-old experienced American caver and researcher who fell ill almost 1,000 meters (more than 3,000 feet) below the entrance of a cave in Turkey, has recovered sufficiently enough to be extracted in an operation that could last three or four days, Turkish officials confirmed on Friday.
Rescuers from across Europe have rushed to the cave for an operation to save Dickey who became suddenly ill with stomach bleeding during an expedition with a handful of others in the Morca cave in southern Turkey’s Taurus Mountains.
“The doctors we sent down were very successful in treating him,” Cenk Yildiz, a regional official from Turkey’s disaster relief agency, told the IHA news agency. “We are now in a position to evacuate him.”
“This is a difficult operation. It would take a (healthy) person 16 hours to come out. This operation will last at least three or four days,” Yildiz continued. “Our priority is health. Our aim is to conclude this operation without anyone coming under any danger.”
Local officials confirmed to ABC News that a local rescue team was taking over the operation and would hold a press conference on Monday.
The New Jersey-based cave rescue group that Dickey is affiliated with said he had been bleeding and losing fluid from his stomach, but he has now stopped vomiting and has eaten for the first time in days. It was not clear what caused the medical issue.
Doctors were expected to decide whether he will need to leave the cave on a stretcher or if he can leave under his own power. The New Jersey Initial Response Team said the rescue will require many teams and constant medical care inside the cave, which is also quite cold.
The cave was being prepared for Dickey’s safe extraction, including passages being widened and the danger of falling rocks being addressed, according to the Hungarian Cave Rescue Service and other officials.
More than 170 people, including doctors, paramedics and experienced cavers, are involved in the rescue operation.
Mark Dickey, 40, fell ill on Aug. 31 while on an exploration of the Morca cave in the Taurus Mountains and has been unable to return to the surface since, according to the volunteer group New Jersey Initial Response Team. Dickey is the chief of the group, which specializes in cave and mine rescue, as well as an instructor for the National Cave Rescue Commission.
The expert caver was helping lead an international caving expedition when he started suffering intestinal problems “that rapidly progressed into life-threatening bleeding and vomiting,” the New Jersey Initial Response Team said in a statement.
Members of Italy’s Alpine rescue corps on Thursday joined the more than 150 rescuers who raced to reach an American man who fell ill and became trapped some 1,000 meters (3,280 ft) underground in a cave he was exploring in southern Turkey.
Video footage showed the first Italian squad of six members, including a doctor and a nurse, preparing to enter the cave where Dickey is trapped.
Several other international rescue teams, including Croatian, Italian, Polish, Slovenian and American cave rescuers, “are waiting for the official invitation from the authorities,” the European Speleological Federation said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Turkish military is also aiding in the remote rescue operation, according to the New Jersey Initial Response Team.
Dickey said caving shows how well the international community can work together.
“We take care of our own. And it’s really special to be taken care of,” he said.
In eerily prescient comments, Dickey talked about how challenging it is to rescue an injured caver in these types of remote, deep caves, in a recent unpublished documentary by Rob Spangler.
“The number of rescue disciplines that are involved in cave rescue is astounding, the amount of challenges that you have to overcome to get someone out of cave when they’re injured,” Dickey said in the footage, which was filmed in November 2022 at the Cueva Gavilan cave in Oaxaca, Mexico. “You don’t realize how difficult it is until you really get involved.”
Morca is one of the deepest caves in Turkey. Dickey is part of an expedition team hoping to collect samples from and map the cave beyond 3,400 feet, according to the team’s website.
In 2014, more than 700 specialists rescued German spelunker Johann Westhauser, who was trapped for 12 days in one of Europe’s deepest cave systems.
ABC News’ Helena Skinner and Kerem Inal contributed to this report.
