The vice-president of Christian Atsu’s Turkish club Hayatspor said on Monday the Ghana winger is in the debris of a deadly earthquake that has killed more than 5,000 people in Turkey and neighbouring Syria.
Former Newcastle and Chelsea midfielder Atsu, 31, joined the Super Lig side in September under their sporting director Taner Savut.
“Taner Savut and Christian Atsu are still in the debris,” Mustafa Ozat told Play Spor.
“They are trying to escape,” he added.
Atsu spent five seasons at Newcastle after an initial campaign on loan before leaving for Saudi Arabia in 2021.
“Praying for some positive news, @ChristianAtsu20,” the English outfit said on Twitter.
He won the last of his 60 Black Stars caps in September 2019.
“We pray for Ghana International Christian Atsu and victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria,” the Ghana Football Association said on Twitter.
“We continue with our efforts to establish contact with officials of Hatayspor and the Turkish Football Federation, considering the difficult situation,” it added.
24,400 people are involved in Turkish search and rescue.
Turkish authorities reported 3,419 deaths and 20,534 injuries Tuesday morning. 5,775 buildings were collapsed by the quake.
In Syria total of 1,602 deaths and 3,649 injuries were reported.
The deadly earthquake that struck in the early hours of Monday was felt in Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Egypt.
The quake was followed by dozens of aftershocks, including an unusually powerful 7.5-magnitude quake, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
