Christian Atsu remains trapped under rubble as search and rescue teams continue to try to save him after Turkey’s devastating earthquake.
The 31-year-old Ghanaian was trapped earlier during one the most devastating earthquake ever recorded in Turkey’s history.
According to his teammates, reports of his rescue circulating on social media is false.
These reports had claimed Atsu was rescued and taken to the hospital with breathing difficulties and an injury to his right foot.
However, one of Atsu’s teammates, Karim Alessi, posted on his Instagram account and denied the winger had been found.
Also, read; Ghanaian Chelsea Footballer, Christian Atsu ‘Trapped’ After Earthquake in Turkey
Then Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu tweeted that Hatayspor director Mustafa Ozat confirmed that Atsu and the club’s sporting director Taner Savut were still under the rubble.
Hatayspor, Atsu’s current club, is based in the Turkish city of Hatay, which is said to be one of the areas hardest hit by the accident.
Other players including Onur Ergun and Burak Oksuz were rescued after the crash. Two of Atsu’s other teammates, Ruben Ribeiro and Zé Luis, are safe while Karim Alessi manages to extricate himself from the rubble.
More than 2,600 people died and thousands were injured after a catastrophic earthquake struck Turkey and Syria overnight, devastating neighborhoods while families slept.
A search and rescue operation has been launched for the former Chelsea and Newcastle player and Portuguese newspaper A Bola has reported that he has been found – although an Instagram post by Karim Alessi disputed the information.
Two of his Hatayspor team-mates, as well as members of the coaching staff, were reportedly pulled from the rubble earlier in the day.
After the two earthquakes that destroyed large areas of cities and smaller settlements, the death toll in southern Turkey and northern Syria continues to rise.
