Former Chelsea and Newcastle star Christian Atsu is reportedly ‘trapped under rubble’ after a huge 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria.
Ghana international Atsu plays for Hatayspor and reports in Turkey say that the club’s players and employees were caught up in the earthquake.
Turkish outlet Star say that two players and two members of staff were “pulled out of the rubble” but both Atsu and Taner Savut, the club’s sporting director, remain missing and a search and rescue operation is underway as they try and find the pair.
Ahmet Eyup, who plays for Yeni Malatyaspor as a goalkeeper, is also said to be under the rubble.
Atsu, who had loan spells with Everton and Bournemouth, joined Hatayspor in July 2021 from Saudi Arabia side Al-Raed.
The BBC say more than 1000 people have been killed and thousands injured in the earthquake. A second 7.5-magnitude tremor, described as “not an aftershock” happened at 13:24 local time in Elbistan, 80 miles north of the first quake’s epicentre of Gaziantep.
Buildings collapsed as a result of the quake, which was felt by millions across Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus and Israel.
