UPDATE: Former Newcastle and Chelsea football star RESCUED ALIVE from Turkey earthquake rubble

Christian Atsu, the Ghana football international who had spells with both Chelsea and Newcastle in England has been rescued alive from rubble after the Turkey earthquake.

Monday, February 6 at 9:20pm

According to the Portuguese news outlet A Bola, the Ghana international Christian Atsu has been rescued alive from the rubble of a collapsed building after the earthquake in Turkey. They reported that Atsu is in the hospital with injuries to his right foot and has breathing difficulties.

The former Newcastle United and Chelsea player is currently on the books of Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor. Along with his teammates and coaching staff, Atsu was inside a building in the city of Hatay at the time of the massive tremor.

Rescue teams also pulled Onur Ergun and Burak Oksuz from the remains of the building, while Kerim Alici managed to escape by his own means. The Portuguese player Ruben Ribeiro and Cape Verdean Ze Luis have also been found alive added the publication.

There was no indication however that the club’s sporting director, Taner Savut, and a club interpreter – who were both missing  – had been located.

Conflicting reports on social media are disputing the claim of the Portuguese paper, claiming that Ansu has not been rescued. The BNO News Live site, which has been very reliable so far, made the claim.

Footballer Christian Atsu is still missing after today's earthquake, according to multiple sources. Reports that he was rescued have been denied.

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) February 6, 2023

Monday, February 6 at 4:52pm

Ghana international footballer Christian Atsu has been reported missing in Turkey. The 31-year-old footballer previously played for both Newcastle United and Chelsea in the English Premier League.

Praying for some positive news, @ChristianAtsu20. 🙏🖤🤍 pic.twitter.com/HQT6yZOmRB

— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) February 6, 2023

Local media reports say that he is believed to be still trapped under rubble in the aftermath of the horrific earthquake that struck Turkey in the early hours of today, Monday, February 6. Atsu is thought to have been with his teammates and staff from Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor inside a building when it collapsed.

According to Yagiz Sabuncuoglu, an Istanbul-based journalist, all of those known to have been in the building have since been rescued apart from two people who are still unaccounted for. These are Atsu and Taner Savut, the team’s sporting director.

Hatayspor Sportif Direktörü Taner Savut ve Cristian Atsu, enkaz altında kaldı. Arama kurtarma ekipleri iki ismi arıyor.

— Yağız Sabuncuoğlu (@yagosabuncuoglu) February 6, 2023

Newcastle United posted an image of their former player on its Twitter profile writing that they are ‘praying for some positive news’. He represented the club between 2016 and 2021 and in 2017 helped them gain promotion from the Championship back into the top tier of English football.

His spell at Chelsea was not such a success. he joined the Stamford Bridge outfit in 2013 but found himself being loaned out to Everton, AFC Bournemouth and Malaga, and never played one competitive game for the Blues.

The latest reports from Turkey, and also northern Syria, are that in excess of 1,800 people have died as a result of the earthquake. Thousands more are said to have been injured.

___________________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.