World Cup star Christian Atsu feared to be trapped under earthquake rubble in Turkey

A former World Cup star is believed to be trapped under the rubble of the deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria early Monday and has already claimed 2,700 lives, according to a report.

Former Premier League member Christian Atsu, 31, is among the missing in Turkey, and has yet to be accounted for following the 7.8 magnitude tremor, News AU reported.

Originally from Ghana, Atsu plays soccer for the Turkish League team Hatayspor in the southern city of Antakya, which was decimated by the quake.

Many of his teammates have been rescued, but Atsu is still missing, the team’s sporting director Taner Savut said, according to News AU.

The Former Newcastle United winger had just scored a last-minute goal Sunday to lead Hatayspor to victory. He played for Ghana in the 2014 World Cup and won best player at the 2015 African Cup of Nations.

Atsu is married with two children, and it is unclear if his family was with him in Turkey at the time of the earthquake.


Atsu playing soccer
Many of Atsu’s teammates have been rescued, but he has yet to be located.
Getty Images

Potrait of Atsu
Atsu currently plays soccer for a team in the Turkish League.
Newcastle United via Getty Image

Officials said Monday the death toll in Turkey has reached at least 1,600, and another 1,000 people have died in Syria.

The number of fatalities is expected to rise significantly, as rescuers struggle to search through the rubble and widespread devastation. The situation was made worse when a second earthquake of almost the same magnitude struck Monday afternoon. 

Bodies of earthquake victims lying down in the back of a pick-up truck in the Besnia village near the Turkish border, Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.
The death toll of 2,700 is expected to significantly rise, as rescuers find even more dead bodies in the destruction.

A massive mound of rubble
Rescuers search for victims and survivors amidst the rubble of a building that collapsed in Adana.


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This aerial view shows residents searching for victims and survivors amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings following an earthquake in the village of Besnia near the town of Harim, in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province.
At least 1,000 people died in Syria, where rescuers are using cranes to try to clear rubble.

Photo of a rescuing holding a body amid the rubble.
A rescuer reacts as he carries a body found in the rubble in Adana, Turkey on Monday.


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Temperatures are likely to reach near-freezing as night falls again in the region, making it even difficult for the millions effected by the tremor.

With Post wires.

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