Former Chelsea star trapped under rubble in Turkey’s earthquake

Former Chelsea star Christian Atsu is believed to have been trapped under rubble of the earthquake in Turkey.

National Daily learnt that the Ghanaian international remains missing in Turkey after devastating earthquakes hit the region.

The 31-year-old who was previously at both Stamford Bridge and St. James Park as a player for Chelsea and Newcastle respectively is feared to have been trapped under debris.

National Daily understands that the winger have been with other players and staff from his current team, Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor, inside a building which collapsed around them.

Meanwhile, National Daily gathered from the report by the local media that all have since been pulled out alive except Mr Atsu and the team’s sporting director, Taner Savut.

Newcastle United said they are ‘praying for some positive news’, tweeting a picture of Atsu, who played for the team between 2016 and 2021.

Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 have hit southern and central Turkey and parts of Syria in less than 12 hours.

The death toll in Turkey stands at more than 2,300, with pictures suggesting catastrophic damage to buildings in many towns and villages.

Some 800 people are dead and 2,000 injured in Syria, according to local officials and humanitarian groups quoted by the AFP news agency.

Hatayspor are based in the southern city of Antakya, which is near the earthquake’s epicentre.

It was not immediately clear if the team were at their training ground or had gathered elsewhere.

Former Ghanaian president John Mahama tweeted: ‘Let’s continue to pray for our brother, Christian Atsu, and his club director. Let’s continue to pray that God spares their lives.’

The 31-year-old featured prominently in the Newcastle squad which won promotion back to the Premier League in 2017.

He previously joined Chelsea in 2013 but never played competitively for the club as he was loaned out to other teams.