Christian Atsu, a Ghanaian international player who is buried in debris following Monday’s powerful earthquakes that shook Turkey, is in danger of dying.
The 31-year-old Atsu represents both Ghana and the Turkish Süper Lig club Hatayspor.
He was reported to be trapped in the rubbles of the quake with Hatayspor Sporting Director Taner Savut.
leading Turkish sport presenter Yagız Sabuncuoglu tweetedthat “Hatayspor Sporting Director Taner Savut and Cristian Atsu were left under the rubble. Search and rescue teams are looking for two names.
“Search and rescue efforts continue for Cristian Atsu and Taner Savut. Both names have not been reached yet.”
The Ghana Football Association, also in a tweet said “We pray for Ghana International Christian Atsu and victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
“We continue with our efforts to establish contact with officials of Hataspor and the Turkish Football Federation, considering the difficult situation.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Christian Atsu and our brothers and sisters in Turkey and Syria. We remain hopeful for positive news.”
Atsu primarily plays as a winger, although he has also been deployed as an attacking midfielder.
He began his career with Porto, also spending a season on loan at Rio Ave. In 2013, he was signed by Chelsea for £3.5 million, who subsequently loaned him to Vitesse Arnhem, Everton, AFC Bournemouth and Málaga. After spending the 2016–17 season on loan at Newcastle United, he completed a permanent transfer to the club in May 2017.
A full international with over 60 caps since his debut in 2012, Atsu has represented Ghana at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He helped the team finish as runners-up at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, in which he also won Player of the Tournament and Goal of the Tournament.