Former Black Stars player Christian Atsu has been pulled out alive after being buried under rubble in the earthquake that hit Turkey. Atsu, who was in action for Hatayspor last Sunday, went missing Turkey’s Hatay province following the magnitude 7.8 quake and its aftershocks that brought down thousands of buildings, killing some 5,000 people, in several Turkish and Syrian cities on Monday. “Christian Atsu was injured. Our sporting director, Taner Savut, is unfortunately still under the rubble,” club vice president Mustafa Ozak told Radyo Gol on Tuesday.
The Ghanaian Football Association tweeted: “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.” Atsu, 31, played in the English Premier League for Newcastle United and Everton, on loan from Chelsea, and joined Hatayspor in September. He was last selected to play for Ghana in 2019, but has not officially retired from international football.
Ozat told beIN Sports on Monday that several players and officials had been rescued from the rubble. So far, more than 7,800 people have been rescued across 10 Turkish provinces, Orhan Tatar, an official with Turkey’s disaster management authority, said on Tuesday. Strained medical facilities have quickly filled with injured people, rescue workers said.
