ISTANBUL: An injured US explorer trapped more than 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) deep in a Turkish cave for eight days has been transported 300 metres toward the surface, rescuers said on Sunday.

Mark Dickey, 40, reported falling sick Sept 2 while exploring the Morca Cave in southern Turkiye`s Taurus Mountains with an international team. Dickey fell ill at a depth of 1,120 metres and has been resting at a base camp 1,040 metres underground.

He was moved by rescuers on a stretcher, beginning just before 3:30pm on Saturday over a period of ten hours.

He is now at a depth of 700 metres 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 on Tuesday and have given Dickey blood infusions and first aid. The Morca Cave is Turkiye`s third deepest, according to the federation, running to a maximum depth of 1,276 metres.-AFP