Christian Atsu, a former Premier League player, is purportedly one of the victims of Turkey’s terrible earthquake who are supposedly stuck under debris.
According to Turkish tabloid Star, a search and rescue effort has been started after the former Chelsea player was reported missing.
Atsu, 31, is a player for the Kahramanaras region-based Super Lig team Hatayspor, which is located in one of the worst-affected places.
The devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and northern Syria was followed by numerous strong aftershocks, resulting in almost 2,300 fatalities and thousands more injuries.
After the earthquake occurred at 4am local time, several of Atsu’s teammates were reportedly rescued by experts at their residences.
During the dramatic rescue attempts, two players and members of the technical crew were “taken out of the rubble.”
Taner Savut, the director of sports for Hatayspor, has also been reported missing.
According to reports, both men are the subject of a desperate hunt.
Atsu joined Chelsea from Porto for £3.5million in 2013, but he never played for the Premier League team.
He also spent time on loan at Vitesse, Everton, Bournemouth, Malaga, and Newcastle.
“Praying for some positive news, @ChristianAtsu20,” a Newcastle official Twitter account wrote in a post.
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