TASELI PLATEAU, Turkey (NEWSnet/AP) — Rescue teams on Sunday carried an American researcher from the depth of a cave in Turkey from 3,410 feet to about the 2,300-foot mark, where he will rest at a base camp before the journey continues.

Mark Dickey, 40, an experienced caver, started vomiting Sept. 2 due to stomach bleeding while on an expedition in the Morca cave, one of the deepest in the world, according to experts.

A rescue operation began Saturday with doctors, paramedics and cavers from Europe assisting. They set up medical base camps at various levels along the shaft, providing Dickey an opportunity to rest during extrication.

The most challenging part of the rescue operation is widening the narrow cave passages to allow stretcher lines to pass through at low depths, Yusuf Ogrenecek of the speleological federation previously said.

Extraction is expected to require up to 10 days, depending on Dickey’s condition.

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