An American caver rescued after being trapped underground in southern Türkiye for 11 days said on Thursday he was blessed to be alive after suffering a gastrointestinal bleed while 1,040 meters deep - but that he would go on exploring caves. Mark Dickey, 40, was rescued early on Tuesday after being trapped in the Morca cave in Mersin province's Taurus Mountains. He was transferred to Mersin City Hospital, where he is receiving treatment. "I really am blessed to be alive. It's been a tough time," Dickey said in a news conference at the hospital.