07 Feb 2023; MEMO: Former Newcastle and Chelsea forward Christian Atsu has been found alive after being rescued from building rubble in Turkiye after the devastating earthquake which rocked the southern part of country and neighbouring Syria yesterday.
The 31-year-old Ghanian international who currently plays for Turkish Super Lig club Hatayspor was reportedly missing alongside the team's sporting director Taner Savut. Atsu's rescue was confirmed by Hatayspor's Vice President, Mustafa Ozat, who said he was rescued with injuries, but that Savut was still trapped.
Ozat told Radyo Gol that "Christian Atsu was taken out with injuries. Our sporting director, Taner Savut, is unfortunately still under the rubble."
The Ghanian Football Association also confirmed the news today, announcing on Twitter: "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." Former clubs Chelsea and Newcastle had earlier posted tweets in support of the player who had been feared missing after the earthquake.
According to TalkSPORT, two more players from Hatayspor – Burak Oksuz and Bertug Yildirim – have also been saved from the rubble, while defender Kerim Alici got out of the rubble himself.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake has claimed over 5,000 lives and injured 20,000 people with thousands of buildings having collapsed in both Turkiye and Syria. Hundreds of aftershocks have been reported and rescue efforts to find survivors are still underway.
