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US Caver Rescued in Türkiye ‘Blessed to Be Alive’, but Vows to Keep Caving 

This handout photograph taken and released by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) on September 12, 2023, shows US caver Mark Dickey, on a stretcher, is carried to an ambulance helicopter as his rescue operation comes to a successful end near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Türkiye. (DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) on September 12, 2023, shows US caver Mark Dickey, on a stretcher, is carried to an ambulance helicopter as his rescue operation comes to a successful end near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Türkiye. (DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)
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US Caver Rescued in Türkiye ‘Blessed to Be Alive’, but Vows to Keep Caving 

This handout photograph taken and released by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) on September 12, 2023, shows US caver Mark Dickey, on a stretcher, is carried to an ambulance helicopter as his rescue operation comes to a successful end near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Türkiye. (DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) on September 12, 2023, shows US caver Mark Dickey, on a stretcher, is carried to an ambulance helicopter as his rescue operation comes to a successful end near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Türkiye. (DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)

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.

More than 150 cave rescuers from Türkiye, Croatia, Italy and other countries worked to rescue Dickey from Türkiye’s third-deepest cave, and Dickey said he had never lost hope.

"I will definitely continue to explore caves. There is risk in all of life and, in this case, the medical emergency that occurred was completely unpredicted," Dickey said.

"Will I go back to Morca cave? I would love to."

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Drought Has Dried Major Amazon River Tributary to Lowest Level in over 122 Years

A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)
A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)
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Drought Has Dried Major Amazon River Tributary to Lowest Level in over 122 Years

A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)
A part of the Negro River is dry at the port in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, amid severe drought. (AP)

One of the Amazon River's main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level ever recorded, Brazil's geological service said Friday, reflecting a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the country.

The level of the Negro River at the port of Manaus was at 12.66 meters on Friday, as compared with a normal level of about 21 meters. It is the lowest since measurements started 122 years ago.

The previous record low level was recorded last year, but toward the end of October.

The Negro River's water level might drop even more in coming weeks based on forecasts for low rainfall in upstream regions, according to the geological service's predictions.

Andre Martinelli, the agency's hydrology manager in Manaus, was quoted as saying the river was expected to continue receding until the end of the month.

Water levels in Brazil's Amazon always rise and fall with its rainy and dry seasons, but the dry portion of this year has been much worse than usual.

All of the major rivers in the Amazon basin are at critical levels, including the Madeira River, the Amazon River's longest tributary.

The Negro River drains about 10% of the Amazon basin and is the world's sixth-largest by water volume. Manaus, the biggest city in the rainforest, is where the Negro joins the Amazon River.

For locals, the drought has made basic daily activities impossible. Gracita Barbosa, 28, works as a cashier on a floating shop on the Negro River.

She's out of work because boats that once stopped there can no longer navigate the river due to the low water levels.

Barbosa can no longer bathe in the river and now has to travel longer distances to collect drinking water.