U.S. explorer who was trapped in Türkiye's third deepest cave at a depth of 1,276 meters (4,186.35 feet) in Mersin's Anamur district, thanked Turkish authorities for saving his life, in a touching video on Thursday.

"I was very close to the edge," said Mark Dickey in the video dated Sept. 6 that was made available to The Associated Press (AP) by Turkish authorities on Thursday.

Rescue experts from across Europe have converged on the cave in southern Türkiye to save Dickey.

Dickey, 40, became sick and had gastrointestinal bleeding, and since then has been unable to leave the cave on his own, the European Cave Rescue Association reported.

It described Dickey as "a highly trained caver and a cave rescuer himself" who is well known for his participation in many international expeditions. He is secretary of the association’s medical committee.

Dickey was on an expedition, mapping the 1,276-meter deep Morca cave system for the Anatolian Speleology Group Association (ASPEG) before falling ill at around 1,000 meters deep, according to Yusuf Öğrenecek of the Speleological Federation of Türkiye.

Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and rescue team UMKE are working with Turkish and international cavers on a plan to retrieve Dickey out of the cave complex, the rescue association said.