An ailing American explorer trapped 3,000 feet deep in a Turkish cave awaits rescue
NPR Online NewsAug 29, 2023
The Facts
A team of around 150 rescuers are working to rescue Mark Dickey, an ailing American researcher trapped in southern Turkey's Morca cave complex.
Dickey reportedly fell ill with gastrointestinal bleeding over 1K meters (3.3K ft) below ground level in the country's third-deepest cave on Sept. 2.
The Spin
Narrative A
In an inspiring moment of cooperation, rescuers from around the world are working with Turkey to perform a daring rescue at perilous depths. In an age of strife and division, the world's top caving and rescue experts from disparate nations have come together to share their expertise and save the life of an accomplished caver. If Dickey's life is saved, it will be due to a selfless, multinational effort.
Narrative B
While we should all hope for Dickey's survival, the irony that the nations of Europe will come together to save the life of one American while disregarding the lives of countless migrants who perish every day is not lost on the world community. Governments in the EU have left migrants to die in a watery grave rather than dispatch top rescuers to save them. If only Europe could act with such urgency with migrants as they do with the Dickey case.