Ex Newcastle and Chelsea star Christian Atsu reportedly ‘left under rubble’ after Turkey earthquake
- Planet Sport writer
- 6 February 2023
Former Premier League winger Christian Atsu is trapped under rubble following two major earthquakes in Turkey, according to latest reports.
The 31-year-old, who joined Super Lig club Hatayspor last summer, was together with the club's sporting director Taner Savut at the time of the earthquake.
Journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu tweeted the news just before 11am GMT saying: "Hatayspor Sporting Director Taner Savut and Cristian Atsu were left under the rubble. Search and rescue teams are looking for two names."
Hatayspor Sportif Direktörü Taner Savut ve Cristian Atsu, enkaz altında kaldı. Arama kurtarma ekipleri iki ismi arıyor.
— Yağız Sabuncuoğlu (@yagosabuncuoglu) February 6, 2023
The 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes his southern areas of Turkey, including the city of Kahramanmaras where Hataysport are based.
Sabuncuoglu also reports that Hatayspor technical committee members Ekrem Eksioglu and Osman Ates have been removed from the wreckage.
According to The Star, two other players were also "pulled out of the rubble" during a rescue operation.
Over 1,000 people are understood to have died, with experts saying the toll could rise to 10,000.
Areas of Syria were also hit by the earthquakes while tremors were felt as far as Egypt and Cyprus.
