Atsu pulled from rubble alive and taken to hospital after earthquake in Turkey
Footballer Christian Atsu has been found alive after this weekend’s devastating earthquake in Turkey and has been transferred to hospital after being pulled from the rubble.
The 31-year-old, who played for both Chelsea and Newcastle during his time in the Premier League, was caught up in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake which occurred on Monday.
Hatayspor manager Mustafa Ozat: "Christian Atsu was removed from the wreckage with injuries. Unfortunately, our sporting director Taner Savut is still under the rubble. Hatay was deeply affected. We are coming towards the end of the most dangerous hours."
A statement from the Ghana Football Association said: "We've received some positive news that Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment. Let’s continue to pray for Christian."
Hatayspor, Atsu's current club, is located in the Turkish city of the Hatay, which is believed to be one of the areas worst affected by the incident.
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Other footballers, including Onur Ergun and Burak Oksuz, were rescued following the incident. Two other team-mates of Atsu, Ruben Ribeiro and Ze Luis, are safe, while Kerim Alici managed to free himself from the rubble.
Atsu, who joined Chelsea as a youngster back in 2013 after leaving Porto, also had spells with a number of other top-flight clubs including Everton and Bournemouth before moving to St James' Park.
He joined Hatayspor in the summer and scored his first goal for the club on Sunday night - just hours before the disaster which has devastated Turkey.
Christian Atsu made over 100 first-team appearances for Newcastle (Serena Taylor)Atsu left St James’ Park during the summer of 2021 after making 121 appearances for the club.
It has been reported that at least 2,800 people have lost their lives following the incident with over 12,000 more believed to be injured across Turkey and Syria. A massive aftershock with a magnitude of 7.5 hit the south of Turkey just hours after the original quake. Reports say it was felt once again in Syria and also Iraqi Kurdistan.
Speaking at a press conference, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the earthquake was the country's "largest disaster" since another major earthquake back in 1939.
"Everyone is putting their heart and soul into efforts, although the winter season, cold weather and the earthquake happening during the night make things more difficult," Erdogan told reporters on Monday.
"We do not know how high the casualty numbers will go as efforts to lift the debris continue in several buildings in the earthquake zone. Today is a day for 85 million to be together as one heart."
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