Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu, who was reported missing in Turkey’s Hatay province following the devastating earthquake, has been removed alive from the rubble of a building with injuries, his Turkish club Hatayspor’s Manager Mustafa Ozat has told Turkish radio on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Gana international and his Sporting Director Taner Savut were trapped under rubble after the earthquake that killed at least 4,800 people in Turkey and Syria on Monday.
“Christian Atsu was removed injured. Our sporting director, Taner Savut, is unfortunately still under the rubble,” Hatayspor manager Mustafa Ozat told Turkish Radio Radyo Gol.
“Hatay was deeply affected. We are coming towards the end of the most dangerous hours,” he added.
Atsu, who has 65 caps for Ghana, represented the Black Stars at the 2014 World Cup and at four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
He is playing with Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor, the main club in Hatay, which was one of the most affected Turkish cities during the earthquakes. Atsu has spent the majority of his club career in England where he signed for Chelsea in September 2013. Then, he was loaned to a host of clubs including Everton, Bournemouth and Newcastle United FC, for whom he signed permanently in 2017.
